What If?
by C-AND-B
Summary: What if Snow didn't make the victors go back in the arena? What if Johanna and Katniss were both mentors for their district? What if…
1. After The Storm

I saw an AU on Tumblr about Johanna and Katniss being mentors instead of having to re-enter the arena and paired with my friend nagging me, this came about. This chapter is basically setting the scene and I've tried to condense it into a small amount so that the majority of the story will focus on the new Quell and Joniss as mentors.

It's rated M for violence and probably some swearing. Also if I slip into my usual ways, smut, but I am trying to keep it relatively clean. Anyway, hope you enjoy, reviews are welcome as always and I apologize in advance for any mistakes.

Disclaimer: I should probably say that I don't own the Hunger Games, though that will become evident as the story progresses because I definitely would have gone in this direction.

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Chapter One - After the Storm:

**_"_**_Times of great calamity and confusion have been productive for the greatest minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace. The brightest thunder-bolt is elicited from the darkest storm." – Charles Caleb Colton_

* * *

I have no idea how I'm still alive.

As if going into the hunger games wasn't enough of a death sentence, I pushed the boundaries; I forced two winners upon the Capitol – that should have been the moment the dripping ink, dried upon the dotted line, sealing my fate.

I should be dead.

Correction. I should have been murdered, for breaking the rules, for making others think that maybe, just maybe, they could break the rules too. But, regardless of impending rebellion I haven't been killed, nor has anyone I love. I suppose the latter is more shocking since, if the rumours are true, Snow has a bit of a fixation on killing the loved ones of those who oppose him. Nothing's happened though, but perhaps that's the point, the calm before the storm, the eerie silence before the flinch inducing scream. Maybe vengeance will occur, or maybe my punishment was simply the victory tour since it seemed to be a fate worse than death and the event hadn't even begun yet.

The second bomb I found myself waiting to explode was named Gale. The boy I'd left behind. The one that had seen the whole situation between me and Peeta, the very believable - albeit fake – act of the Capitol's favourite star-crossed lovers who were pushed together by the Hunger Games. Basically there was no escape from the fallout of the games. Hunting seemed like a bad decision and it was less to do with the laws and more to do with the boy who was currently working in the mines to feed his family and yet I found myself in the woods anyway. I still see him, on Sunday's, but the ease of our relationship has gone and I'm constantly waiting for him to burst, to finally break the silence and speak the words on his mind, that even though he doesn't say, are louder than anything that could come from his mouth. But for now I sat, basically motionless on a rock, staring into nowhere and knowing that really I should move. I should stand up and use my limbs before they went into a current state of paralysis and my luck brought upon an onslaught of wild, vicious man eating dogs to rip apart my pale skin but I couldn't move, I simply sat and continued to think about the mess that was my existence.

As if there weren't enough problems in my life there was the third, to which we will refer to as the bread boy, 'my' bread boy, who had begun sulking around in a manner that meant we hadn't had a real conversation since we got to Victor's Village. It's not my fault he fell in love with me. I mean, it's not like I asked him to love me and then brood when I didn't really return the feelings. I certainly never usually got that kind of attention, perhaps my sterling personality was what he loved or my natural charm? No, definitely not, whatever was that boy thinking?

The icy chill of the air began to dull as the sun started slipping through the spaces between the trees. The day was dawning upon me and it was a day I had been dreading since my return. The Victory Tour. They'll all be at my house soon, endless amounts of people I didn't really want on my doorstep, reporters upon reporter upon reporters each one of them bringing their own camera crew to capture the 'girl on fire'. Then there would be Effie Trinket, presumably sporting some unrealistic hair colour especially for the Victory Tour. Cinna would be there too, but I'm not dreading that like the others though the prep team that would probably accompany him is another matter altogether.

In my dreams I forget the Hunger Games entirely but the reality of the situation means I have to relive the horror all over again. Though that is the purpose of the whole escapade, to remind the districts of the barbaric acts in the games, to keep the fear of death imminent and immediate. It's a way of forcing us into celebrating the iron grasp that the Capitol holds on everyone they view as beneath them, simply pawns on a chess board of their own devising. Only this year, I'm the one who has to stand in front of the public. I'm the one who has to travel from district to district talking to people who only really view me as the one who murdered their family, their friends, the one who had the ability to rip their life away and took it. They must loathe me and truthfully I don't blame them, I loathe me, but I had to survive, for Prim.

I manage to stand from the rock, silently begging my legs to work again as they refuse to be anything but numb, almost as though they were mimicking my soul. I take the animals that are caught in a cleverly built contraption, stuffing them unceremoniously into a bag before wandering back, under the fence, to my home. My old home. To the place before the Hunger Games, before I was stuck in Victors Village with only a drunk man and a silent baker for neighbours. I allow myself a moment to enjoy my old home before I bring some of the animals from the traps to Gale's mother, quietly thankful that he isn't at home.

The next thing I do to waste some more time before having to deal with the Tour is go to the hob. Buying liquor for Haymitch is the least I can do for all he did for me and after seeing him during withdrawal it only seems right to have a supply of it so that he doesn't continue to thrash and scream and shout, scaring Prim and admittedly me. That's the point when I finally admit there isn't much else to do other then return home, back to the ruckus that was the wake of the Hunger Games. I passed Darius on the way back and although my mood seemed to be deteriorating with every passing second I found myself smiling at his jesting about how I look.

Then I find myself in Victors Village, staring at the twelve house that are excessively large, nine of them unlived in, just sitting there surrounded by greenery and falling snow being unused and wasted, sitting there empty when families could have been living in them, enjoying the warmth and space they provided. I walked up to one of the houses that belongs to Haymitch, pushing open the door and flinching in disgust at what's inside. The smell alone is repulsive, the stench of years of vomit, liquor and burnt meat invading my nostrils, giving me the urge to add to the vile odour of vomit that lingers in the air. But I push forward, cursing Haymitch for not letting someone clean his house or at least cleaning it well himself. I find him face planting a table that's coated in liquor and I wonder whether his snores are actually his way of trying to drink the liquor in his sleep. No matter what they were I try to pull him out of his reverie but nothing works and so I go to my last resort. I collect a bucket and watch the blue swirly hue of water pour from the tap and into the bucket I'm holding, before I throw the liquid onto his head and watch in amusement as he jumps up quickly, slashing the air mindlessly with the knife that stays in his hand as he sleeps.

He looks confused during our entire conversation, spending most of his time staring bemusedly at his soaked shirt before he finally poses the question about it. Only it gets worse because then Peeta walks in, the smell of freshly baked bread following him like a sheep with a Sheppard. The sound of his voice makes me squirm slightly as my stomach curls into an uncomfortable knot of guilt, sadness and fear. The atmosphere in the room is intensely awkward and I could practically feel the tension thicken as Haymitch made a witty remark and Peeta proceeded to ask me if I wanted some bread. To say I ran out of there after the whole ordeal would be an understatement, I flew out of the window racing to the 'safety' of my house.

I found myself in the tub before I had even had a chance to process my thoughts. I let the warm currents rush over me and block out the sounds around me. Being around Peeta was horrible, though it was better than being visited by Snow; perhaps our act had been believable enough for him to let us be, at least for a little while. Even under the water I could hear the commotion of people. The sounds of people stomping and slamming car doors echo even as the water rushes around signalling my time to get out of the bath. I only manage to slip my bathrobe on before they burst through the door with exclamations about how I've let myself go.

That's when it began, the poking and prodding and continued scrutinising of my look. Though, even now I don't understand why they put so much effort into making us look presentable to simply throw us into an arena full of filth – both literal and metaphorical. But I had to look wonderful for the Tour if only to appease those who could rip everything I have away from me and it wasn't all that back really having them rush around in excitement, even if it were misplaced. The real buzz in the room comes from the idea of me being a mentor for the first time in a Quarter Quell. I don't know much of them apart from the fact that they occur every 25 years and the Capitol find some sick, twisted way to mark the event which usually entails more people being murdered or some kind of twist of fate that also ends in death. The final touches of my look came from Cinna, who unlike most of those crowding in district twelve I was actually happy to see. My mother hands me my mockingjay pin with cradled hands and Cinna pins in on the knot of my scarf.

I handled the makeover just fine but the real issue came when I found myself being pushed from my house, when I found myself being forced to put on my face and play along with the charade of the games and that meant pulling wistful looks and begging the world to come along in my sickeningly sweet love adventure with everyone's favourite baker boy. We slip onto the snow merrily and share a kiss and underneath the charade I can feel the steadiness of Peeta but I can also feel the shame that I'm the reason the boy has been walking around brokenhearted, that's when I pull him from the floor and continue to keep face for the cameras.

* * *

**The Tour**

The Tour begins in Eleven, only its isn't just another district, it was Rue's home and I found my mind swimming with images of the girl, the girl who deserved to live so much more than I. The images are the reason I find myself snapping at Effie but the result is Peeta coming to talk to me with an apology and an offer of friendship so saying sorry to Effie about my lack of manners doesn't seem like it's so bad anymore.

Eleven is definitely the worst. There is a special podium for the families of the fallen tributes and I can see them clear as day. The sight makes me sick to my stomach. I can feel myself crumbling when my eyes fall upon Rue's family. Her parent's faces are marked with sorrow and I wonder how they'll ever get over losing their little girl. Her siblings stand with them, each one of them looks so much like Rue I can hardly stand to look at their faces knowing I'll never see hers again, at least, not truly, I suppose it'll always haunt my dreams.

Peeta talks of Rue and Thresh, reading the cards he'd been given but his final words are definitely not on them because his generosity shines through the sentiment and the gasps of the audience are enough to conclude that the Capitol would not have been accepting of the idea. The mayor hands us a plaque and I've done my best to stand there but it's finally my breaking point. My first fumbled words are for Thresh because he saved my life and Rue's family aren't the only ones standing on a podium, missing a piece that once made them whole. Then I talk of Rue because I need to let it out, because I need them to know that she will never be forgotten. My last words go to the crowd. Then it was silent. After a moment I heard a whistle – Rue's mocking-jay tune. A three finger salute follows and although I stood small and broken, I find a tiny ounce of hope but only for a moment because everything fell apart then. The bullet clangs from the chamber and I vaguely hear myself screaming.

The rest of the tour is simply a blur. A blur filled with fake smiles, robotic speeches and a weighted conscience. The Capitol is last but I don't enjoy the festivities like I'm supposed to, my contempt is only heightened when it's suggested Peeta and I make ourselves sick to make more room for food. We dance for a while if only to escape the madness but I find myself swept back up in it when Plutarch Heavensbee asks me to dance. He flicks his watch open over zealously and after seeing the print I believe it was his goal to get my attention, the only question was why.

"I like your watch; it seems I'm not alone in my fondness of Mockingjay's"

He grins much like the Cheshire cat before his reply comes,

"You'll find you're not alone in much Miss Everdeen. Now if you don't mind I have a meeting to attend. I believe we'll be seeing each other very soon my dear"

I spend the rest of the night trying to avoid the shallow dwellers of the Capitol while keeping on a smile that anyone could have seen was fake if they took a moment from being self obsessed to actually take note of anything else around them. When I finally escape back onto the train I see something I'm pretty sure I was never supposed to because who would want their precious pawn to see the carnage spreading like wild fire through District 8 and who knows where else. I feel my heartbeat pick up at the sight and not only because of the barbaric manner in which it's displayed. But also because I know it's partially my fault. I know I pushed and pushed until the dam gave way and everything came flooding in and that scares me because if I blame myself, then somewhere Snow must be blaming me too and he's a lot less forgiving of insubordination.

I know at this point my demise is bordering on inevitable and yet I still find myself questioning the rules, attacking the hierarchy in a way that the Hunger Games were supposed to scare out of us. I try to get Gale to run and at first it seems like he'll agree but then he tells me he loves me and all I can reply is 'I know' because maybe once it would have been simple, I would have married Gale and we'd have had a family but I can't have that now, I can't think about that with everything crumbling around me and even if I could there's something missing, something that I know I've never had, never felt, and yet it's absence is so blaringly obvious that it's staring me in the eye begging me to realise but Gale isn't it. He changes his tune pretty quick, poking holes in my plans, telling me I could do more and he's right. I know he's right. I just want to save my family and that's what he is. Family, just not the cousin he is supposed to be. I don't explain that to him and he throws Cinna's gloves to the floor but I can't question him because he's already gone.

The next time I see Gale is the moment I try and get Peeta to run too but it's not the way I wanted to see him. The sound of the whip reverberates through my body, violently crashing through my bones, making my teeth shake with the intensity of the snap. The sight is worse than the sound. Gale's on his knees, slumping against the pole to which he's tied in a position that tells me he's either resigned himself to his fate or he could simply no longer stand the pain, he could no longer stand on shaking legs and let the whip tear into his skin like a piece of meat.

The whips pulled back again and I don't think before I move (much like the majority of my decisions in life). I know it's a bad idea the moment I move but I'm already between the whip and I can already feel it burning across my cheek. The pain is blinding and I fall to my knees wondering how Gale had managed to withstand the many lashes playing out the scene of war across his back.

Haymitch turns up a little after that, talking me out of further problems and we take Gale back to Victors Village to be healed but he looks so weak, so broken and I know I can't run, I can't let this happen to anyone else.

The Mockingjay appears again, on a cracker as though it were a common occurrence. A girl tells me it means she's on my side and I wonder what that means, I wonder at what point I had begun to oppose something so greatly that I had my own side. Going to District 13 makes no sense to me since it's been destroyed for quite some time and yet they seem so hopeful that it'll house their salvation, that they'll find solace after the uprising in their home.

I wonder how they'd even managed to survive this long being from District 8 but I don't question it, I simply ask about what I assume it tea. Twill tells me she's not really sure just that she thinks she remembers someone doing it with pine needles in the Hunger Games. My mind wanders to District 7 for a moment; the place I think of immediately at the mention of pine needles, being the district of lumber it was bound to have been one of them. I don't dwell too much on those in the games I simply give them the food they so desperately need and ask to hear their story. I find myself flinching at their story, at how they'd held victory in their hands and then had it ripped away from them as well as their families. The word hope is what brings me back to my senses, because all of it is simply a delusion, the Hunger Games were designed to rip hope away and in my eyes they were doing an extremely good job.

Hurting my ankle hadn't been my plan of attack as I climbed the newly electrified fence but neither had Peacekeepers turning up in my house, though any further damage seemed to be avoided, thankfully. Everything else seems eerily peaceful for a while after that, though the dark thoughts of everything linger in the back of my mind because I know it's the calm before the storm, the silence before the blood curdling scream and I found myself waiting for the shoe to drop with every passing second.

The peace is disconcerting but what throws me perhaps even more is what I see when I finally venture downstairs on my ankle, a news story. I see the smouldering remains of buildings that once stood high and mighty and I catch a glimpse of a mockingjays wing, but only for a second as it disappears from the frame. It doesn't really catch my attention then; it doesn't prove that Twill and Bonnie's hopes were validated. I only pay attention several days later when the news cuts to what is supposedly live footage of a news reporter in front of the carnage of 13, wearing a protective suit as to not endanger herself, reporting that it's still too dangerous to be anywhere near the area but as they go to turn back to the main news reporter I see the flash of a wing. A mockingjays wing. The same exact wing on the original footage of the broken District 13. She wasn't really in 13, which begs the question, what exactly is? I tell Haymitch what I saw but he seems to react the way I did the first time I heard the theory, but I expected no less.

The next time I find myself on the floor is when the Quarter Quell is announced. There's a nagging voice in my head that's screaming at me that I'm going to have to go back in, that Snow will send me back in as a way to eradicate me but that's not it and I'm slightly taken aback. I wonder who decided on the elaborate Quell that requires a code to escape the arena. My first thought is that they've somehow found a way for everyone to die, in the event that they don't find the right code to escape.

My second thought is that the person who decided upon it is even more sick and masochistic than I originally believed because every tribute is given one piece of the code and that means torture is an inevitability and I'm disgusted that they'd put people through that. That they'd make them beg and beg for death, make them scream in pain till nothing more than a whisper could slip from their hoarse throat, but in truth I'm not that surprised because this is Snow and the Capitol and this kind of vile act occurs on a weekly basis.

My next thought is about the people who will have to watch their children, siblings, friends, neighbours weep for mercy, pray for one more moment or one less. The Hunger Games were already an abomination, they were already taken too far and yet they found a way to push the boundaries, much like I did, though I pushed them for life and they were pushing for submission.

My final thought that comes is about me because at first I think I'm relieved to not have to return to the games, especially with its revamped ideas but then it occurs to me that I'll have to build people up to simply throw them into that place. The place that you can't ever truly be prepared for. The place that messes with your head in way you never could have imagined, even though you watch the carnage every year. The place where you can 'win' but there aren't really any victors, only the dead and the damned, and to be perfectly honest I'm not completely sure which is worse anymore, but I'm beginning to think that death was the best choice all along.


	2. Reaping Innocent Souls

I apologize for the lack of Joniss in this Chapter but it will be mentioned in the next before Johanna enters with her usual flourish. Hope you enjoy in any case. Once again I apologize for any mistakes made and reviews are always welcome.

Disclaimer - I don't own the Hunger Games, and I only own the characters for which I made for the purpose of this story. I do however, wish I owned Johanna Mason. That would be nice.

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Chapter Two - Reaping Innocent Souls:

_"War should only be declared by the authority of the people, whose toils and treasures are to support its burdens, instead of the government which is to reap its fruits_." –_ James Madison_

* * *

Somehow the day of the reaping seemed worse than all the others I had attended. The scene was set in the same way. Panic was carefully hidden and yet so painfully obvious upon each person's face as their persona began to crack. Even though it was to be expected with each passing grimace I felt like someone had burrowed into my gut and torn into anything they could get their hands on. They were terrified, each and every one of them because they'd seen what the games did to people, how they warped their minds, distorted their bodies, crafting shells that no longer held what one was but instead what never will be.

I would've thought that the absence of impending doom would have made the experience more bearable. I was wrong. I stared among the crowd, watching them hold their breath. I found myself looking for those among them I thought had the ability to survive, to thrive in the arena, but I soon reprimanded myself for looking at them like pawns instead of people. It wasn't a game, no matter what they called it, no matter how they played; it would never be a game.

Effie walked onto the stage at that moment, though even she appeared different this time around. At my reaping she seemed jubilant, as though she were nothing if not elated for another Hunger Games, but not now. She looked harrowed. She looked remorseful. She looked afraid but she was in no immediate danger, that was the moment it became apparent that Effie Trinket wasn't afraid for herself, she was afraid for everyone else. The façade she had adopted would've been believable to those in the crowd. They must have whispered about how cruel she was, how wretched her mind must've been but not me. I could see through the cracks. I could see that even she didn't believe in this anymore and if she didn't, why would anyone else in the districts?

She doesn't open her mouth to deliver her signature, opening line and the quiet murmurs rise in volume a little at the realisation.

"Ladies first!" She calls, as she always does and although the tone holds a tint of excitement it's evidently fake. But regardless of how she felt, it would still happen and I watched with bated breath as she picked a name.

"Wren Hayes" She calls and I watch a small girl stumble forward, her body trembling so intensely I wonder how she's still standing. She can't have turned twelve that long ago and her crystal blue eyes glisten with tears as she steps through the crowd. People whisper about how it's unfair, about how she doesn't deserve this and yet they all part as she continues to step daintily to the front. She doesn't get far though when a husky shout crushes the silence. I watch a boy, of around seventeen, stride forward with the same blue eyes that tell me he must be her brother.

As he comes closer I can see his lips tremble as he tries to look composed but it's only a moment later that he falls to his knees, something told me it was the moment he realised he couldn't volunteer for his sister like I did for Prim because it was one girl and one boy, those were the rules and there was nothing he could do about that. A second later he flings his head around and everyone else's eyes follow inquisitively. Their gazes fall upon a girl who stands in the corner. From where I stand I can't see much of her but I can see blonde hair that falls upon her shoulders like waves, crashing at her chest. I watch her look up and stare up at the crowd with eyes that appear black from a distance. Everything goes silent as we watch. Nobody looks upon her with recognition except the boy whose eyes silently scream for her, beg for her to help. Her indifferent stare makes me think she'll turn away and reside the girl to her fate but then a sob echoes and I watch her take a deep breath before she pushes away from the wall she rested against and walked towards the boy, never speaking, simply watching the people part for her to pass.

When she finally reaches him she drops to her knees beside him before taking his face into her hands and simply watching for a blink. Then she releases a small smile, only allowing the corners of her mouth to upturn for a moment before it disappears as though it never existed. The crowd gasps as she lightly presses her lips to his. It's a small kiss but he holds her to him with such an intensity I find that even I barely breathe in an attempt to keep the scene unshattered, untainted. She steps away just as quickly as she came and he looks so torn, so completely torn over his sister and this girl. She looks at him once more before hugging Wren. Everyone knows what she's going to do, everyone knows the words that are going to fall from her lips and yet when she opens her mouth the people still gasp, and then they shower her in the praise of silence, because she all but screamed,

"I volunteer!"

"What's your name?" Effie's voice is the only sound until the girl opens her mouth for the second time. Everyone watches attentively, all wondering who this girl is and I can't help but speculate how no one here knew who this girl was, how she only knew two of the people that stood among the masses.

"Sophira Swann" She says and now she's close I finally find time to take her in. Her skin was pale and lightly marked with dirt but she held herself with a grace I could imagine someone from the Capitol having. She stood tall at around 5'9 but the look in her molten chocolate eyes made her seem small, it was the look of a broken girl and it held its own in her iris making me think it wasn't due to the reaping at all, that she was crumbling away day by day all on her own. Her golden hair shined brightly despite the dull surroundings, her looks didn't fit the mould of district 12 and that made her even more mysterious.

One by one I watch the people of district 12 press their three middle fingers to their lips and then raise them in the same salute I watched them do for me just last year. I almost turn to leave, forgetting that all this drama had occurred even before a boy had been reaped but I'm stopped by the sound of Effie's voice announcing it's time, the next words to fall from her lips are a name,

"Griffin Pyrmont" I watch him walk to the stage, he can't be much older than fifteen but he walks calmly, drawing his broad shoulders back, displaying the strong build I assume he gained from working in the mines. His charcoal hair fell over his eyes, concealing the emotion I was sure sat quite obviously on his face.

There is far less ruckus in the aftermath of his name being called, the only evidence that his name was ever called was the woman who sobbed abruptly before being pulled into the arms of the woman stood beside her. I don't know much of this boy but it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who he is, it doesn't matter where he was from. He didn't deserve this. Neither of them deserved this. They didn't deserve to be ripped from his family. They didn't deserve to be pitted against others. They didn't deserve to die nor did they deserve to live having to know that they are a murderer, that they had ripped someone's family away so viciously.

I listen to the Mayor go through the motions and watch the tributes shake hands. The anthem plays next but I'm not really listening by this point because somehow this is harder. Somehow it's harder to watch someone walk into oblivion than to actually walk into it yourself. It makes no sense and yet someone nothing in the world has made more sense than this feeling.

I watch them get taken away, knowing they'll be taken inside to the last place they may ever see their loved ones and I can't help but wonder who will show for Sophira. No one looked at her with any sign of recognition when she walked up to the stage, no one except the girl – Wren – and the brother who I still knew nothing about. I found myself unconsciously sneaking in after her, bordering on the edge of needing to know who these people were and why on earth she volunteered herself for death, all for someone's sister. I knew I'd have to help her. I couldn't let her die after such a selfless act but how could I simply give up on the other tribute? How could I simply let Griffin die just because he was picked by chance instead of throwing himself onto the flames?

I find myself waiting by the door in which Sophira has walked into, waiting for the boy to show like I think he inevitably will, the look in his eyes as she stood upon the stage assured he would turn up eventually and sure enough he did, his little sister in tow. He barely looks at me when he walks in, though Wren's eyes twinkle in awareness at my presence, though she said nothing and simply continued to let her brother walk her into the room, but I got the feeling she knew exactly why I was there because she left the door open slightly, allowing me to hear all that went on inside.

"Why did you do it?" The voice cracked the tears evident in the deep, husky tone.

"Because someone had to. I mean, look at this her; she's a lover not a fighter. Right, Little Bean?"

"You bet Captain" I heard a small muffled feminine chuckle and I find myself imagining her lips pressed against Wren's head as she holds herself together. The somewhat peaceful moment was interrupted by a voice that carried sorrow in its wake.

"It didn't have to be you. I didn't mean for you to volunteer, I just needed you." His voice trailed off a little before he added, almost silently, "it didn't have to be you" But she definitely heard because her voice boomed next.

"And who else was going to volunteer, Quill? They're all terrified and as much as they don't agree with all of this, they're still not willing to die for her" I feel I should walk away, leave them to have the conversation they believe is among themselves but my feet are anchored to the floor and despite the fact that I don't usually indulge in such things, I find myself needing to know how this will turn out.

"I just. I can't lose you, I love-"

"Don't. You can't. I'm already dead. I just… I need to know you'll move on."

"Never. You'll always have my heart. _Captain_." The name garnered multiple laughs and the next thing I heard was what I assumed to be kissing.

As I walk away from the intimate moment I know I can't let her die. I can't let him lose the one person who was willing to risk everything to simply save his sister. That kind of bravery needs to survive, needs to be passed through the generations. But I can't just let Griffin die. I need to protect him, I need to protect them _both, _and I need to bring them home. I watch as the Peacekeepers push past me, readying themselves to destroy the moment, to rip her serenity away and I know what comes next.

It's time to do what I do best.

Rebel.


	3. Toward The Flames

Chapter Three – Toward The Flames:

_"A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act." – Mahatma Ghandi_

* * *

I can't help but wonder is if the other tributes could possibly overlook our own. Our victory last year seems to have made us look absurdly like contenders to the other districts. I wondered just as I did last year with Peeta, if they'd be able to pull a Johanna Mason. Though Johanna had an air of elegance and beauty about her that I think helped people to believe she was weak simply because they wished for it to be true of the striking woman. Because they wished for the broken world to seem a little more put together by knowing that the young woman was simply that, instead of being a scheming girl that played to everyone's weakness by pretending to be frail so they would either feel sympathy for her or overlook her because they were narcissistic and believed they were too good to dirty their hands with her flimsy blood.

I couldn't imagine people overlooking Griffin because even at fifteen he stood larger than Peeta in both height and muscle; he looked as though he could quite easily crush someone's skull between his fingers. I shuddered at the vivid image. There was something puppy-like about him however and I suddenly couldn't imagine him wanting to hurt anyone, I couldn't imagine him being able to live with himself knowing he had blood on his hands. That image scared me more because I didn't want him to lose who he was.

Then there was Sophira, and while she was thin and graceful enough to pull off the scared gazelle persona, there was a steely look in her eye that made even me cautious of approaching her. That coupled with the fact that she volunteered guaranteed they'd pay special attention to her. I guess it was back to the drawing board for plans of surviving.

I once again sit back and watch as they survey the train, knowing they mustn't have seen anything quite so extravagant before in district 12, I know I certainly hadn't. The train is elegantly decorated and the abundance of wealth in the Capitol shines in each and every crevice of the machine.

Effie smiles sadly at me and I find myself replying in kind, letting myself grin at the woman for a second and for a moment it seems to do the trick because the darkness in her eyes lights up but they quickly cloud over again and I feel useless because I'm no good with words and I know she need someone to convince her of the things she used to be so sure of, but no longer believes in.

We go through the motions after this. The tributes go to their designated room to do whatever they wish before Effie collects them for dinner and Peeta and I simply sit in comfortable silence for a while.

"I thought it'd be easier" Peeta says, effectively shattering the peaceful break in conversation.

"Me too" I turn to him "We can't let them die Peeta. Either of them"

"I know Katniss, but only one can win, if either of them do win at all" His face is distorted in anguish and I see the boy who was my friend. The one who tried to save me, the one who was kind and I could see that this was eating him up inside.

"Maybe we can save them both?" I say and he looks up at me incredulously. I'm not surprised, the first time it came into my mind I questioned my own sanity but my resolve was stronger and I wouldn't let them down like I did Rue.

"How? I mean, they could collect the code together but I don't imagine it would work as long as the game makers could see that two people were still alive. They won't make that mistake twice; our victory caused them enough trouble" He's right about that. I can't help but think of the new games maker Plutarch Heavensbee and how he'd found himself due to Seneca Crane's untimely death. There was no doubt about his death. Regardless of how the stories went of its occurrence, whether he were beaten, shot or if he hung himself like people seemed to strongly suggest, his death was still at the hands of President Snow, all because it was no victor or two and something in me told me the uprising would have been a lot larger had there been no victor of the 74th Hunger Games.

"I suppose our plan will have to be a little more… elaborate" He simply nods and I know he's on my side no matter what occurred between us because he's a good person, better than me. I turn my head away and something grabs my attention.

"Haymitch? What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Mentoring" Is his simple reply. I look at him strangely. Usually there are only two mentors to combat the two tributes and this year it had been me and Peeta because Haymitch had been the only living victor of district 12 for so long that he had been doing it alone for longer than anyone would wish to. The only reason I can think of that they actually allowed us to have three is that the star crossed lovers and their savior/mentor was too good an opportunity to pass up in the Capitol, since they ate all that sentimental crap up. I imagine there was a lot of backlash at the decision seeing as it would probably be seen as unfair by most, unless they'd met Haymitch, in which case with his drinking they'd probably presume it a two man team in any case.

I don't have time to question the man further because Effie returns with the tributes in tow and her face lights up an inch at the sight of Haymitch. I think it must have come from spending so much time with the man, or perhaps she simply realized that he wasn't just an alcoholic savage during last year's games.

We wander to the table and I watch the incredulity in Griffins eyes as he surveys the spread and I suddenly see how he managed to grow so large by the abundance of food he expertly stuffed in his mouth. Sophira eats in the same way she seems to do everything else – with caution – and I have the sudden need to hear her speak.

"Sophira Swann, right?" I ask and the arched eyebrow I receive from her tells me she knows the question is unnecessary, that I'm actually highly aware of who she is, I simply want to know more than what's on the only card I've been dealt from her pack. She indulges me in any case.

"Yes that's right and you're Katniss Everdeen?" Her convincing look of puzzlement, make me chuckle lightly. I like her. She's quick witted and rebellious in the endearing way, not the 'I may have just started a rebellion in the districts because I didn't want to kill my friend' way, which was probably the best kind of rebellious since it didn't result in anyone being unnecessarily killed.

"That I am. How old are you?" She seems amused by my casual line of questioning to the point that she answers swiftly with,

"Seventeen"

"Why'd you volunteer?"She casts her gaze down and I watch her pick at her nails nervously, the stylists were going to moan about that one. I understand her apprehension however, my question was abruptly heavier than the last and she swallows thickly before she once again meets my inquisitive gaze with an unfaltering look of her own.

"Quill" She replies bluntly and I try to pretend that I don't know that name but she's intuitive and smart which makes me think she can see right through me as I put on a confused expression.

"And Quill is?"

"My b-"She halts, chewing on the words she is deciding to use before she once again opens her mouth to reply with, "My friend, I suppose"

"Just a friend?" I ask and her slight smirk returns.

"I could refer to him as my cousin if you'd like" Her knowing look makes me falter for a second because I truly know nothing of her and yet she knows enough of me that she's aware that Gale isn't my cousin, that it was all a lie to make our friendship less questionable to those in the Capitol. But Gale isn't my boyfriend and I know in my head and in my heart that I'm not in love with him in that way, so I let a smirk grace my face in return as I reply.

"Lover would be fine" She chokes on the water she's drinking at the term 'lover' and the blush that coats her face in a crimson flush makes me laugh heartily because we're more similar than I originally thought, because it took everything in me to say the term in such a flippant manner without blushing myself.

"W-we, we don't. I mean… we haven't- you know, we, we just, erm-"

"Desert anyone?" Effie questions and the look in her eye tells me it is simply to put the girl out of her misery because her confident façade is falling apart and the insecure girl seems to be shining through the cracks, only strengthening my resolve to keep her alive.

We watch the districts reaping after that and I find myself paying more attention than last year, eager to prepare my tributes, to teach them all they will need to know, or, as much as I possibly could considering. I wonder how Haymitch did this for so many years because while we hadn't won since his victory his drinking wasn't completely to blame. We're a weak District because we're poor and therefore fragile, we also lack the resources to train like those in the Career districts because 12 is all about mining and unless you want to mutilate someone with a pick axe – which wouldn't be for the faint of heart - you're out of luck.

The Career districts look incredibly daunting this year, almost as though they've been breeding these particularly perfect specimens specifically for this year, specifically to prove that the others districts mean nothing, that District 12's inconceivable win was simply a fluke.

The worst seems to be a gargantuan boy from District 2, who looks like he went straight from his mother's womb and into training. But his towering stature isn't what makes my stomach turn. No, that comes from the sinister grin on his face as he reveled in the moment as though he were already bathing in the sweltering heat of his victim's blood. His head is shaved and his eyes appear red on the camera, he looks like a hell hound and it's obvious he will be just as savage.

I felt my throat dry up when I saw Johanna Mason appear at the reaping of District 7. I don't know what it is about her. I had seen her barbaric, brutal, manipulative manner when I watched her cut and slice and maul her opponents in her games and yet I still found her remarkably beautiful. Maybe it was in the way her brown eyes seemingly twinkled with her smirk. Maybe it was the smirk itself which was equal parts devious and salacious in a mixture that made a fire burn in my loins. Maybe it was the way sarcasm rolled from her tongue in delicious torrents. Or maybe it was all of the above. Probably the last one. I once again peered at the screen and watch her face split into a grin. Definitely the last one.

My heart lurched forward when I watch the District 11 reaping because a girl of around sixteen steps forward, with dark brown skin and eyes, and although she's older and walks forward without faltering she looks exactly like Rue. They call her Dimba and the name reverberates through my bones, resting heavily in my chest because I've seen her before, standing just before Rue's podium in District 11, her eyes dripping with the tears she failed to hold in over the loss of the twelve year old tribute. Her similarity to Rue is so eerie that I can feel my heart hammering for escape against my ribs when she whistles Rue's mockingjay tune, letting a small smile escape when it was echoed by the forlorn crowd. The Peacekeepers close in at that point, there are more of them than before and the footage cuts off quickly, I can only pray it didn't end like my last visit to District 11. In blood.

The District 12 clips play next and I watch avidly, despite having seen it with my own eyes only hours before. I watch Wren stumble. I watch Quill, weak, broken, fall to his knees in sheer desperation. I watch Sophira step forward and kiss him so fiercely that I wonder how anyone believed the act me and Peeta threw in their faces. It was real and raw and I couldn't see how people saw us like that. I couldn't see how people could compare our ruse to the intense emotion that rolled off of them like waves even as they tried to hide it away from prying eyes.

I heard a shaky breath shatter in the air as it expelled from Sophira's lungs at the sight. It was one of the first signs of weakness she was truly beginning to show but the commentators seemed to be having the time of their lives narrating the segment, their voices twinkling with delight each time they replay the kiss, cooing at the two heartbroken lovers.

They don't seem as excited by Griffin but I take a second to watch more closely this time. I watch him draw his shoulders back and walk forward. I watch him duck his head an inch so his hair cover his face, making what I assume is fear. He'll have to work on his poker face because the stylists are sure to cut his hair to make him look more 'presentable' and he'd have nothing to hide behind then. I watch him mothers face contort with despair as it hits her that her little boy, no matter how grown he is, is probably walking towards his end. I watch his hand tremble as he reaches to clutch to Sophira's in a mandatory shake. What I see this time that I definitely didn't see before was the light squeeze she gave to his hand before nodding gently and withdrawing her hand.

They both stand when the footage stops and I freeze when they turn to look at me. I expect an onslaught of questions, or panic, at least something but neither say anything, they simply nod and walk to their respective rooms, though their posture is slouched and I expect it's not simply to do with fatigue.

Peeta's gaze catches mine and I can see in his eyes that he's not just going to fight for them because I asked.

He's going to fight because they deserve to live.


	4. Lust For Blood and Other Things

Finally Johanna is appearing. I apologize for any mistakes made and in regards to this chapter's content all I can say is - I couldn't resist...

* * *

Chapter Four – Lust For Blood and Other Things:

_"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius_

* * *

Griffin's makeover is just how I expected it would be. His dark hair could be described as nothing less than jet black and while it used to hang over his face, concealing him, it now sat shortly cropped upon his head, somehow still managing to look adorably disheveled as though his mother and only just ran her fingers through his locks. His newly cut hair revealed the forest green eyes that lingered beneath, littered with brown specks that gathered around the iris in groups. His appearance hadn't changed much, other than that but the stylists had thrown his loose-fitting clothes God knows where and replaced them with ones that left little to the imagination. I felt a surging need to question it at first but I trusted Cinna and Portia, and the Capitol would eat it up, I just hope his new look would be enough for him to gain sponsors above others.

Sophira turned up next and I struggled to find anything too different about her. Her pale skin, now cleaned, lacked the usual coat of dust and dirt, making it seem almost translucent in contrast to the black leotard they had slipped her in to. Her lips had been designed to look like flames but she unconsciously gnawed at her lip in an act of nervousness ruining the effect. She stood tall, walking forward with her head held high and her shoulders drawn back in a way that exuded confidence, though deep eyes darted around the room anxiously blocking you from getting lost in the hypnotic depths. I watched her take a deep breath before walking over to an equally anxious Griffin and taking his tanned hand in her pale one with a gentle smile that caused him to expel a deep breath as he smiled in return. She used her free hand to smooth his hair in what seemed like a motherly fashion before she tugged on his hand leading him to the chariot and gracefully stepping onto it.

Haymitch's absence was blaringly obvious, as it had been last year when I was the one coated in flames and my curiosity kept screaming at me to ask where he had gone but I left it alone simply watching as the other tributes eyed 12. Most watched with amazement and jealously as the flames burned bright even in the light of the sky, envy evident in their eyes as they looked down at their own outfits in what appeared to be a tinge of shame. The Goliath looking boy from District 2 looked at them with a somewhat predatory gaze but it lacked its usual tinge of menace and instead looked as though he were enjoying the display of Sophira's flesh more than he probably should have. I flushed the memory from my brain before I followed Effie in the more secretive way to the Training Center.

We greet the tributes as they come into the building and they look slightly exhilarated by the experience, the smiles on the faces actually looking genuine for once and I find myself congratulating them on how well they played the crowd. I can't seem to find words however when someone behind them steals my attention.

Johanna Mason.

I know I've spent far too much time engulfed in her physique by the way I recognize her not from her face but by the way she walks, each step seeming both carefully calculated and spontaneously sultry. I have seen her coated in blood, hacking at people without reluctance and yet as I watch her don't feel the disgust I should, perhaps because I know people may view me in the same manner, albeit slightly less barbaric. Despite this my skin tingles in response to the way she bites her lip, containing the laughter that is obviously threatening to spill as it vibrates through her body making the crystals on her dress shimmer in the harsh lighting. Her hair, sleek and dark was carefully positioned on her head, no doubt to please the crowds outside they loved the bad girl tamed idea, only the rebellious streak in her appeared when she nonchalantly raked her digits along her scalp adjusting her hair to the point she apparently deemed satisfactory. I could almost imagine my name purring from her lips as she ran her hands through my hair in such a flippant manner. I wondered how the letters would form upon her tongue. How the vowels would flow from her lips so daringly, almost as though whispering a challenge. _Katniss, Katniss, Kat-_

"Earth to Katniss?" I flung my head to where Peeta stood waving his hand in front of my face with a laugh ready to spill sitting at the edge of his lips, waiting to take the plunge.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said Effie wants me to mingle or something with her. Do you mind taking the tributes?" I chuckle fondly as the word 'mingle' tumbles from his lips with an air of unfamiliarity.

"Sure"

I don't say anything else as I begin walking towards the elevator, silently excited about once again being able to ride in the contraption. My excitement dissipates slightly as an arm slides through the closing gap of the door, effectively opening it up again so that Johanna Mason and her tributes can join us in the once exciting machine that now feels like a coffin. She eyes me for a second before pressing the button for her floor and watching the doors close completely this time.

I watch Johanna pull at her high collar irritably before she finally grunts and exclaims,

"Who the fuck made this dress so damn hot" My thoughts exactly, well, I suppose not quite since my meaning of the word was probably eminently different. I'm pulled out of my revere by the fact that her wide set brown eyes are staring right at me.

"Katniss right? Would you mind helping me with the zipper?" I open my mouth and close it in a bewildered manner, shuffling my eyes between the other occupants in the elevator who seemed to purposely avoid my eyes before I settle back on the seductress of District 7.

"Of course" I said and gestured for her to spin around. My voice came out calm and collected though I could hear the slight deepening of the tone in places. She replied with a grin before slinking around.

I cautiously laid my palm against her shoulder-blade, flinching slightly at the heat that toyed with my fingertips. She hadn't been lying about it being hot. I drew my second-hand shakily up to the zip upon the dress before hastily pinching it between my thumb and forefinger. The fact that I managed to pull it down in one swift swipe brought a smile to my face but it vanished quickly at the appearance of the smooth expanse of the skin that covered her back. I couldn't hold myself back from running my fingers along the blank sheet, wishing I could write my name upon it again and again till no one dared touch it but me. I managed to catch myself before I dipped any lower but it had more to do with her quietly smirking over her shoulder than it did my willpower. I cleared my throat crashingly before stepping back as far as I could in the confined box.

She continued to bear her teeth knowingly before unceremoniously dropping her dress and kicking it off to the side, leaving her in nothing but a pair of shoes and a smile. Neither of her tributes batted an eyelash, telling me it probably wasn't the first time she had bared her flesh. I avert my eyes quickly because she's turned my way again and I swear the elevator never took this long before but it can't be much longer and yet I still find my mind chanting at me to keep away.

_Come on Katniss, you can do it. Just don't look, just a few more seconds and her sweet, sweet, naked body will be far away and you can breathe again. If you can remember how. Just don't look. Don't look. I'm looking. Totally looking._

My eyes stray to her legs first and I can hear my mind screaming at me to turn away but how can I look away from the smooth skin, that seems so effortlessly sculpted in such a way that all I want to do is let my own hands run along the clay and feel the mould quiver beneath my fingers tips. I manage to rip my eyes away from her legs but maybe it wasn't the best idea I'd ever had because I found myself looking at her torso - her bare, bare torso and her bodacious-

I halted my examination for a moment to try to hold back the moan that threatened to rip from my throat at the sight of her breasts glistening in the elevator light. If President Snow was going to kill people he might as well have a good reason like, I don't know, Johanna Mason flaunting her unrivalled physique in front of people who evidently had no self-control in these kinds of matters. I followed the contours of her neck up to her jaw line and I felt my brain drowning in visions of me pinning her up against the wall and letting my lips caress every inch of her neck. I fist my hands in a vice like fashion as I attempt to rein in the emotions I had never felt so intensely before, if I had even felt them before. I'm not sure what it was about the girl that put me so on edge. Usually I couldn't stand displays of flesh, they made me feel awkward and embarrassed but she drove me crazy. I know I'll have crescent-shaped marks where my finger nails are viciously piercing my skin but I can't bring myself to care because my eyes meet hers in an unwavering gaze and I find that she's watching me too, although her gaze is accompanied by a masterfully cocked eyebrow and I would suppose mine was coupled with a jaw that was on the floor, but _by God_, she's just so...

"Beautiful"

_Fuck. No. I didn't just-_

"Thanks 12" She purred, with a salacious wink that made my heart palpitate.

_I did. I totally did._

Only she didn't give me a moment to make up an excuse or even simply blink before she was shifting her tributes out the elevator door, leaving me trapped alone with mine, who were obviously trying not to laugh - and failing... miserably. They were definitely going to recant the entire tale to Peeta later, only I don't think the laughter would be mutual by that point, far from it actually.

"_Beautiful_" I hear in a wistful and falsely feminine tone. Griffin anxiousness seemed to have exited the elevator along with the still very naked, mentor. "I think someone has a crush. What do you think Sophira?"

"You know I think I'll have to agree. But, you know they always say 'boobs over bread'" I don't give them the satisfaction of turning to show them the disgruntled look on my face, I pray for the doors to open, even if it isn't on a floor, I'd settle with having to climb through a small gap in order to escape the two idiots who were definitely grinning to my back. I stared forward as I threw a remark over my shoulder.

"You are aware that you're going into the arena soon and I may be the only thing between you and death right?"

"I bet you'd like to be the only thing between Johanna and a wall" I'm once again shocked by the change in Griffins demeanor and I suppose this is what he was like with his friends before the only thing on his mind was the Games. I turn to reply but the smug look on their faces makes any retort of mine get stuck in my throat and I simply sigh deeply before rushing out of the doors as they finally open.

I don't remember it taking that long last time and this time, I definitely didn't have the same urge to ask to ride in it again.


	5. Nothing

Chapter Five – Nothing

_"As man sows, so shall he reap. In works of fiction, such men are sometimes converted. More often, in real life, they do not change their natures until they are converted into dust." – Charles W. Chesnutt_

* * *

Training begins soon after the treacherous elevator ride and I'm glad for the distraction, at least for a little while. Watching the tributes from a large window into the Training Center I wonder how I didn't realise the mentors were so close last year, I had assumed they watched footage, instead of examining first hand, but after a while I begin to realise it's much better in person.

I watch Griffin first but he apparently took my suggestion of hiding any unique talents until our private sessions too seriously since he spent the majority of his time tying knots that could barely hold a fly and getting his finger caught in the rope while dopily watching the female assistant at the sword station that lazily toyed with the blade, twisting it effortlessly between her hands. I vaguely remember hearing her name in passing – Elliyua – the name had been flittering around for a while due to how young the girl appeared to be. The experts usually came from the Capitol, but they usually had an air about them that emitted a kind of grace that came from age in their world. You could always tell they were older by the way they held themselves; they spoke with an aura of knowledge and arrogance as though they understood the world we were in, but the words that came out usually made it clear that they had no idea how it really went. Not her though. She looked bored, where they looked composed. She looked understanding, where the others seemed jovial. It seemed strange to me that they'd send someone so young; she couldn't have been anything older than eighteen. She reminded me of Sophira in a way. Her body was lean, but the muscles in her arm rippled as she played with the sword, telling me it wasn't knew to her. Blonde hair swirled around her hair in an intricate braid, cyan eyes shining with disinterest though her lips sat in a small smile that for a moment I thought was directed at Griffin. He seemed to have think so too because he flung himself to his feet before stumbling towards the sword station, all I could do was chuckle.

"Thank God he stopped with the knots, it was embarrassing watching him get rope burn" I turned towards Peeta and laughed again.

"You have to admit that it is really a skill in itself managing to be that bad"

I turned my attention to Sophira after that. She sat quietly with Rue's shadow, Dimba, neither of them speaking as they simply listened to the instructor talk on and on about snares, following his orders leisurely. They looked content in each other's presence, though it was as if they hadn't even acknowledged each other's presence.

Honestly it was weird not being the one in training. It was strange watching movements instead of making them, trying to determine where their skills to fight the onslaught of death may sit. It was hard trying to see who would be a good ally since most people were doing simply activities, though in that moment Dimba seemingly got bored of snares because she walked over to the knot tying station, however instead of manipulating the rope she whipped it viciously and I was glad to be out of the way, even though the snap still made me wince from where I sat.

But the hardest thing was trying to do all this while not staring at Johanna Mason and then trying to not get caught by Peeta, while staring at Johanna Mason. Peeta seemed oblivious enough, though Johanna seemed abhorrently aware of my completely conspicuous stare because the corners of her mouth twitched.

"Can I help you with something?" She didn't even turn from watching her tribute as she kept her arms crossed, pushing her breasts higher, till they pushed the boundaries of the top that was practically painted onto her skin.

"No. I'm just, you know, I'm just-"

"Is this your way of incoherently trying to tell me you've memorized, every, single, inch of my body?" She still looked away, but it didn't stop me from seeing the twinkle of smugness in sparkling in her eye.

"Don't flatter yourself" Swiveling in her chair her smirk grew on her face and I braced myself for the comment that was sure to trip from her tongue.

"Oh Brainless. I think we both know there is nothing _flat_ about me"

"Are you always this self assured?"

"Only when District 12 volunteers with vibrant eyes and highly skilled fingers spend extended periods of time gazing at me and pining" I scoffed. She grinned harder.

"No one is pining"

"Perhaps not but you've visualized me naked around five times since we've been sitting here. Admit it" She lent forward, the low cut top begging my eyes to look and I found myself fighting against it once again. _Don't look Katniss, eyes up. Boobs bad, eyes good. It doesn't matter how perfectly formed and glorious they are. Eyes, the eyes are the nipples of the face. Her eyes are kind of perfect… Don't stare. Speak Katniss._

"You could not be more wrong" _It was six. No, wait. Seven_.

"If that's your story. I think your tributes are better than they are letting on 12, and we'd make a delectable team, you and I." She stood from her chair, languidly stepping behind me before bending down. Her breath trickled down my neck like honey but it isn't what captures my attention. No, that would be her aroma that invaded my senses, swirling in my mind; it was like firewood and pine needles. At first I thought it must have been how District 7 would smell the other mentor's scent is different, so perhaps the scent was distinctly Johanna. I choked on my tongue at the throaty husk that dripped from her lips, in a tone that was for me and only me. I hoped. "In the event that you want to… team up. You know where to find me"

"Actually, I have no idea what floor you're on"

"It's my district" She stated.

"Let me rephrase – I don't know your district" Her smirk tripped for a second before she caught it and leaned that tiny bit closer to me, as though there was even that much space left between us.

"Hint – It's less than ten and rhymes with heaven, which coincidentally I can achieve in under ten minutes" My knuckles blanched at the sentence, the material of the chair ripping beneath my nails. She pulled back before strolling off, throwing one last comment before she completely disappeared.

"Nice meeting you again Girl on Fire" In that moment I had to wonder, were firewood and fire the perfect combination for survival. Or were they simply a disaster waiting to happen, a beautiful creation before the world caught on fire. But with the tingle of her breath still trickling down my spine, I wondered if I actually cared either way. I ripped my head away from her exit, trying to appear undeterred by the victor in front of the other mentors who were watching with obvious interest.

"What was that all about?" Peeta asked casually but I could see the creases on his forehead.

"A tactic I suppose nothing really. It was just, nothing."

"Oh I doubt that, it's never 'nothing' with her, she wouldn't waste her words" The sentence came from Peeta's right and we both turned to the man. With each of us staring at him he casually threw a sugar cube into his mouth. Peeta and I stared confused for a while. His cheekbones could cut glass and his chin was chiseled like a work of art. His muscular body and smolder gave me a clue to who he was. What really told me were the sea green eyes that popped on his flawless skin. Finnick Odair.

"What do you mean by that?" Peeta asked and I opened my mouth to tell him it was nothing, to relieve the awkward tension that just seemed to be building and building.

"She's like wildfire, one moment everything is fine and then the whole forest is alight with this uncontrollable flame and it's a beautiful thing to watch, but a terrible thing to be a part of" Peeta's brow furrowed. I ducked my head, thinking that the analogy was perfect.

"What are you getting at?" He questioned.

"Just that Johanna makes her distaste for the Games incredibly apparent, even to Snow. Some might even say she's crazy. But she's rarely nice, in fact I'm not even sure how I managed to get her to be civil to me, let alone be my friend. My point being, she's being incredibly nice to Katniss here and all she had to do was awkwardly blush and call her beautiful" My head snapped up at that and Finnick gave me a look that I couldn't decipher at once especially with the fact that Peeta had turned to stare at me incredulously.

"You called her beautiful" He looked half bewildered, half jealous and my body turned to ice.

"It was nothing" I assured Peeta.

"If you say so. Finnick by the way, District 4. Tomorrow we can talk but I'm done for today, fire making and edible plants are kind of grating on me, I mean, don't get me wrong they're awesome, just boring after two hours" He swept out of the room with a grin that should have made me giddy but I didn't feel the swooning that the girls in the districts seemed to feel.

"They're all a bit dramatic don't you think" Peeta said casually but I could still see the cogs turning in his head over what Finnick had said.

"All those years of putting on an act probably does things to your mind" With that I stood and followed the other mentors out of the door. Tomorrow they'd really train. Tomorrow we'd teach them how to survive.

* * *

I didn't see Johanna Mason until later that day but it wasn't in the capacity I had expected. Similar, in a way and yet so remarkably different I don't think I'll ever stop being emotionally scarred. It wasn't until night, when the moonlight spilled into the room through the ridiculously large windows, taking over the job of the sun in gently bathing the room in light. I should have been asleep. I wish I had been asleep because then the whole mess would have been avoided, or it would have been the mess I was expecting which would have been far easier to deal with seeing as the only spectator would have been myself.

I woke in Peeta's arms earlier in the evening. He said he had heard me shuffling and worriedly mumbling and had come to check on me. He had though that the short, erratic breaths were caused by fear. The guttural shouts caused by panic. The visceral moans stemming from pain. The contortion of my face coming from an antagonizing event.

Only if he had truly listened, those wouldn't have been his thoughts. In that moment when he truly paid attention he would have realized, I didn't look scared, nor did I sound it and he'd wonder what it was I really dreamed of. His first thought would probably be that I dreamed of him, although maybe that is more of a wish than a thought. In any case, it would have been quickly thrown out of the window at the muffled 'j' sound. Perhaps he would have thought he mistook the sound and that I was really dreaming of Gale. That would once again be disproven when he would hear a new mumble that would sound distinctively like 'Anna'. It'd probably click the next day, just who I'd really been dreaming of but then he probably wouldn't believe it and if he did, his mind wouldn't conjure up the right idea, he'd probably think it was something innocent.

He'd be wrong.

I'd never had a dream like it before. It felt like I was slowly dying and yet coming alive all at once. It started with Johanna Mason at my door, nonchalantly leaning against the door frame, a smirk playing on her lips as she asked if she could come in. That should have been the first hint it were a dream, from what I knew of her she wouldn't ask, she'd have strolled right in. The rest of my dream seemed completely realistic however; the axe wielder would carelessly slam me into the wall. She would make me speechless and incredibly vocal simultaneously. Drive me crazy and keep me grounded all at once. Only as her name spilled from my lips I woke up and I definitely didn't wake in Johanna's arms. I asked Peeta to leave when I woke up because I didn't want him to hear something he shouldn't. In hindsight I should have let him stay because maybe it would have helped me to avoid the embarrassing event that occurred.

I lay on my bed, sleep chasing me as I tried my hardest to not fall into the same trap, I felt my eyes drooping as a timid knock patted upon my door. Stumbling towards it, I pulled it open to reveal a smirking Johanna Mason who was… carelessly leaning on my door frame.

"Gonna let me in 12?"

"Not again" I growled.

"This is the first time I've been here" She stated slowly.

"What is wrong with me? Can my subconscious really think of nothing but you bursting into my room and fu- "I stopped. "Why am I questioning this? How am I?" I span to face her and she grinned triumphantly.

"Maybe because you're not dreaming" I groaned and looked away from her once again, leaning my hands on the bed frame and hanging my head in shame.

"So you dream of me huh? And we do something beginning with F-U? Now I don't want to be presumptuous but the look on your face makes me think it ends with C-K-I-N-G" I don't reply. In fact I do nothing until I feel strong hands running along my skin, as her breasts press into my back, her scent once again engulfing me.

"Don't be embarrassed Brainless. I dream about you too" I turn then but not on my own accord. She flips me around and just before she presses her lips to mine I fly forward on my bed, dripping in sweat.

"Katniss?" Comes the sleepy voice from beside me and I see-

"Peeta?"

"Yeah. Are you alright? What were you dreaming about?" He's sitting up to now and I'm wondering how it all could have been a dream.

"Nothing" I reply and the look on his face tells me he doesn't believe me for a second. He's right.

Nothing is always something.


	6. Tribute, Pawn, Both?

Just want to say a quick thank you for all of the reviews, especially to Phoenix2312 whomever you may be. This chapter has a little in the point of view of the tributes so you can see what they're all about before we once again see Katniss. Hope you enjoy and sorry for any mistakes made. Also, I may have snuck a small Pitch Perfect quote in there, but don't worry it isn't 'aca-scuse me?'

* * *

Chapter Six – Tribute, Pawn, Both?

_"Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being." – Albert Camus_

* * *

**Griffin**

The second day of training starts as boring at the first. I walk from station to station, avoiding those that would showcase any talent I may have. I tie knots, well I try, but my hands are too large, too brutish, to deftly tie the knots, even the simple ones. Edible plants don't really seem to be a knack of mine either. I make a note to avoid shrubbery as a whole. I'm tiredly attempting to start a fire when my eyes fall on her again. I'd walked towards the sword station yesterday, only she had stopped toying with the sword the moment I was halfway there and as she tilted her head, regarding me with curiosity all I found myself doing was gulping, and then walking in the opposite direction. It was stupid. Then I found myself at the spear station, thrusting them through the air with all my might, once again a stupid idea since I was supposed to be lying low and more than one head had turned as the spear sliced through the dummies head. Haymitch chastised me about it as I returned to our floor later in the day, but underneath his façade I could see he was impressed. It made me oddly proud.

I drop the stick I'm holding abruptly and quickly get to my feet. Walking towards the swords I stumble multiple times and I'm acutely aware of the fact that she, whoever she was, had seen me because she chuckled quietly, a melodic sound, before she composed herself and once again looked bored.

"Hi" I said as I halted about a foot in front of her.

"Hi" She mocked and I felt my face heat. I flicked my head, before I remembered my hair was no longer there to hide me.

"I would, err" I cleared my throat. "I'd like to learn how to use a sword…Please"

"Learn? Surely there's something you have previous skills in, instead of having to start anew?" I stood straighter.

"I'm from 12, so unless you're suggesting I throw coal in people's eyes, I'd like to learn how to use a sword" Her mouth twitched, threatening to break into a smile and although she resisted it, it was evident in her eyes that usually shone with disinterest.

"Alright, Coal. Pick up a sword"

"It's actually Griffin" Eyebrows arched.

"Perhaps it is, but for now, I will be calling you Coal"

"Fine, but I'd like to know your name for future reference" She regarded me for a moment.

"How about this – You beat me, I'll tell you my name" I grinned.

"And if I lose?"

"You'll lack my name and your dignity" She grinned cheekily and I scoffed.

"Couldn't I just ask someone your name?"

"Probably. But where's the fun in that?" I picked a sword from the rack, testing its weight in my hand.

"You're on"

She attacks the moment the words leave the confines of my mouth. Thrusting and slashing she advances swiftly. I meet each one with the metal of my blade. I may have lied. I may actually have used a sword before. Once or twice. She seems to latch on to that fact because she moves faster. She calculates each move, her eyes watching me closely. It's too late though. She exposed her weakness; the moment she thought I was weak. I dodge her first swing, before meeting her second, causing her grip to loosen and the sword to slip out of her hand and onto the floor with a clang. I have my sword to her neck before she can even think of her next move. Her eyes widen, and then drop to our bodies. I'm suddenly very aware of our close proximity. I jump away as though burned. Her eyes narrow.

"You lied, Coal"

"For good reason"

"Oh yeah?" She challenged.

"Yeah, I _really_ need to know your name" She shakes her head good naturedly.

"Elliyua" I grin.

"Pretty" She breathes a laugh before pushing me away.

"Go practice trying knots, Coal, you really suck at it" I realise she had been watching me and in my daze I actually sit back down to tie knots.

* * *

**Sophira**

Disinterest. One word. What I felt. Pretending to be mediocre at all basic skills in order to be ignored was actually more tiring than being good at anything. I painted my skin with camouflage, though when I say painted that suggests I did it with actual skill, when in fact I coated my skin in strange colour combinations to amuse myself. It wasn't amusing. I was also pretty sure I was being followed by the District 2 brute, who theoretically should have been throwing his impeccable skills in everyone's face just for the enjoyment. I also found myself wandering with the female tribute from District 11, she had introduced herself as Dimba but hadn't said much else since, except for the occasional sarcastic comment that she just couldn't seem to contain. She had looked familiar from the moment I watched her at the reaping, it became clear why when I watched Katniss' face contort in pain at her face. I had seen her with Rue last year. She protected her. She avenged her. She mourned her. I didn't question Dimba walking around with me, for Katniss.

I hadn't opened my mouth for the entire duration of the day until my stalker finally decided to make himself known at the edible bugs' station.

"Hey blue eyes" I almost gagged.

"Hey… you"

"I've been watching you-"

"No shit" I scoffed.

"_And _I'm thinking you could group with us" I looked at him incredulously. I hadn't done anything of merit to warrant me being allowed to hang with the Careers. I had painted my skin a ridiculous florescent orange, built some basic snares and set a fire. I hadn't even set the fire at the fire making station, though I suppose that fact actually made it sound quite skillful.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun" He said it so casually and I wanted to rip his face off. Fun? How could he say it like it was actually true? Like walking around, brutally maiming people was an enjoyable activity among friends?

"Up until the moment you slit my throat" I reply cynically.

"I won't lay a finger on you, well, not unless you ask" And there it is. The real reason. One last hurrah.

"As _delightful _as you have made that offer sound, I think I'm gonna pass just this once"

"You're going to miss out on all this" He gestured to himself cockily, flexing his muscles and I had to chuckle at how he acted. He was probably used to all the girls in his district fawning over him. Their tribute. Admittedly he was handsome, though he had a permanent sinister look on his face that I couldn't look past. There was also Quill. I felt myself tense at the thought of him but I pushed it down. It wasn't the time.

"I can make peace with that" He laughed humorlessly.

"Your loss"

"Get your head out of your ass Kennick, it's not a hat" I turned to Dimba, with a look of awe as she stared him down until he shook his head and left in the direction of the other Careers. I continued to stare at her bewildered before I heard the cracking of a wall and watched Kennick walk away from the scene.

"Well done" I looked at Dimba and smiled, she replied in kind and I wonder how Katniss ever did it. How she every managed to kill anyone.

"Thanks" After that we sat in silence, occasionally chuckling as we watched Kennick fling the assistant around with a brooding look on his face.

* * *

**Katniss**

Griffin's skills become apparent throughout the second day because however much we told him to blend in with the other tributes he seems to have other ideas, in that he impales a dummy with s spear, rather viciously, and then wins a sword fight with what is clearly skill and not beginners luck.

Sophira apparently had a knack for idly playing around at the easy stations, though the look on her face was enough to tell me she wasn't exactly enjoying herself. Not until the encounter with the District 2 brute that had her and Dimba laughing with one another.

Everything seemed to be going inherently better, if you completely ignored the fact that Johanna had once again decided to sit directly next to me. Which in turn meant I nervously sat, wringing my hands, and Peeta sat eyeing her with suspicion much to the apparent amusement of Finnick who sat on her other side occasionally involving her in light banter.

She hadn't said anything to me today, but she had kept 'accidentally' brushing her shoulder against mine. She must have noticed the way my body movements hitched each time because she did it over and over again, each time with a devious look in her eye. It wasn't the touch that was making me falter. No. It was less to do with the brief meeting of skin and everything to do with the images that crashed through my brain like a bulldozer. Every time she touched me, I could only see her body, wearing nothing but the moonlight as she feathered touches along my body. Every time she smirked, whether it was pointed at me or not, all I could see was her slender frame resting against the door as she watched me through darkened eyes. I was slowly going mad.

I ran out of there as quickly as I could and I'd never been more thankful that we'd get to have private training sessions because it meant I could focus everything on the tributes instead of her stupidly, sensual smirk.

Peeta finds his way to Griffin easily and I don't protest because they fit. Griffin is built much like Peeta and it seems easier to let him help him with weights and to fight him with swords since they're of similar standing. Though I don't know where to suggest Sophira start. I know nothing of her and equipping her with a bow just because I can use one seems silly. I ask her instead.

"Any secret skills I should know about? You're no Griffin so I'm just going to go right ahead and assume you can't secretly lift ten times your own weight"

"No, I can't do that" She surveys the room for a moment before picking up two knives and throwing them swiftly in the bulls-eye of the target, the second gets so close I can hear the scraping of the metal as they clash.

"We can work with that" We spend the rest of the time seeing what else she can propel directly at the target and she excels with most things. I hesitantly hand her an axe, not because she won't be able to do it but because I'm afraid it'll remind me to much of a certain mentor but she throws it perfectly well, though in the end we end up throwing knives again. I feel a sense of hope as we watch the two tributes, who seemed to have followed on from us in that they aren't falling apart just yet. Sophira turns to me as the others leave and I didn't expect to hear the words that came tumbling out of her mouth.

"How do you do it? How do you kill someone?" I open my mouth to speak, but no words seem right and so I close it again. She continues. "I know I have to and it's not like I even know these people really but that's the problem. I don't know them. I don't know what they're like. I don't know how they live. What are their families like? Do they even have one? I just don't think I can hurt them, especially not Dimba or Griffin" She talks frantically, as though she's been holding it back this whole time and now that the dam has broken, every thought she's had is flooding through. I open my mouth. I'm no good with words, usually I let Peeta talk for me but he's not here and so I find myself speaking without my crutch.

"You find a reason. I killed for survival, revenge, mercy. I wish I could tell you how to do it but I can't because I never had to do what you do. I just put an arrow through them; I didn't have to torture them into telling me their secrets. I'm sorry that you do and I wish I could tell you how to make it easier but I can't. I can't and I'm sorry for that"

"I guess I'll have to figure it out" She walks away after that, without another word and I wish I could have helped and then I realise maybe I can. Only it won't be with killing.

I find Haymitch quickly and he raises his eyebrows inquisitively at my sudden, abrupt entrance but no words come from his mouth until I've first addressed him, his curiosity winning our above the sarcasm waiting on his tongue.

"We need a plan to stop this. All of it. Not just Sophira and Griffin. We can't keep letting people die for this" He grins then. A real, jaw aching grin and I'm startled because I expected refusal or something of the sort. Not this. Anything but this.

"I see you've finally come to your senses, sweetheart. Come with me"


	7. Perspective

Chapter Seven – Perspective

_"Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it." - Pericles_

* * *

Haymitch lead me to floor thirteen. I was startled when the elevator successfully passed twelve; there wasn't any need to have a floor for a district that no longer existed. In fact, a district that had been destroyed before the Games had even begun. District 13 was destroyed in the first rebellion and there was certainly no reason for the extra floor. I assumed the building must have been standing before the rebellion and simply used for the training center. Or maybe they had planned for the Games, planned for there to be thirteen districts, twenty-six tributes fighting to the death.

I don't know exactly what it was I expected as the doors pinged open, but it certainly wasn't what was there. Honestly I had expected more. I expected the room to house many mentors and others that had decided enough was enough. Only, the doors opened and I saw the room brimming with computers and TV's, showing surveillance and schematics. That made sense. My issue was with the fact that the only people in the room were Johanna Mason and Finnick Odair.

Finnick stood stoically watching the screen and I couldn't think of a time, in real life or on screen, in which I had seen him with anything less than his most charming grin and bare chest. Johanna however looked almost bored. She slouched upon a couch, her back upon the cushions and her feet playing off the edge. I stayed silent for a second. I prayed for Haymitch to not make a sound to alert them of our presence, to make a sound that would startle Johanna out of her position. She looked innocent. Almost childlike as she twiddled her thumbs and swung her legs. I felt my heart ache. This must have been how she once was. She must have seemed cute as a child until she opened her mouth and sarcasm flowed out or when the smirk came to play as she was caught in the act of doing something bad. I wished I'd seen it but I never would have and not even because the Games change people, because really, without the Games I would have no idea Johanna Mason even existed. That scared me more than it should. Haymitch cleared his throat and I realized I had stood, watching for way too long. I stalked forward and pointed accusingly.

"Really Haymitch? This is what you call a 'rebellion'? The hot one and-"

"You think I'm hot, thanks Katniss" I looked at Finnick who threw a wink at me. I should have held my tongue. I should have let him think I was pining over him, that would have been easy, everyone though Finnick was a heart throb but my mouth had other ideas in mind because my next words spilled out without me having even thought about it.

"Not you Sugar Cube. She's the hot one" I glanced at Johanna to see a small smirk play on her lips before I whipped my head back towards Haymitch. "Nicknames aside, this can't be it"

"Of course not Brainless. Most of the mentors are in on it but we can't all hang around on floor thirteen without someone getting suspicious. Haymitch thought you'd appreciate us as your welcoming crew, since you talk about me all the time" The smirk on her face grew and it would have annoyed the hell out of me, had it not been one of the sexiest things I'd ever seen.

"I don't talk about you" I said and I wasn't lying really. I had only asked Haymitch a few questions about the mentor, only he hadn't had many answers and the one's he did answer weren't helpful at all. I suppose he had assumed my intense fascination with the woman by the extended, slightly heated, glances I threw her way. They seemed to glide straight past Peeta's radar but Haymitch had given me more than one knowing look when he caught me staring in her direction. Not that he could blame me. Johanna had once again been naked and I was almost sure the wink she sent in our direction was for me, the part of me that doubted it made me want to punch Haymitch in the face for even looking in her nakedly perfect direction but I held myself back, simply watching the muscles of her back dance in the lamp light as she told the designer how awful the outfit was until he humphed and walked out.

"It's fine that you do I mean, I am the hot one" She winked.

My stomach churned.

I rolled my eyes.

"What's all this stuff?" I pointed to the monitors littered around the room – eager to change the subject. The room was alight with all of the monitors, most of which showed places I'd never quite seen before.

"It's the different districts. We're monitoring them, seeing where most of the outbreaks are occurring" I nodded to Haymitch, mindlessly counting the screens.

"There are thirteen" I stated.

"You were right, when you said you thought there was something in thirteen. To outsiders, it is destroyed but it's not, everything is simply underground"

"Underground? The Capitol must know" Johanna stepped forward once more.

"They do, they just have a _pact._ As long as they stay underground and keep up the pretense of being dead for the other districts, the Capitol will leave them alone" She sounded bitter and I was inclined to agree with it. It had been almost 75 years. Our districts had fought in 74 Games. Our families had been killed along with our friends and those who came back - which were obscenely few in some districts – weren't quite the same. They were empty, broken shells of who they once were, going through the motions of life, relying on morphling and liquor to get by. All the while they were living peacefully underground. No one was sent to their death. No one had to watch the blood of their children run into the soil like it was nothing. I definitely understood Johanna's tone. I was bitter too.

"So why do we have surveillance in District 13 if they have nothing to do with the Games?"

"Because that's where the rebellion base is. I can see it in your eyes Katniss that you're angry but they won their rebellion once and now they will help us. Trust me." Haymitch said imploringly

"Fine. There's a bigger question anyway. How are we going to get the tributes out?" Finnick stepped forward this time and almost laughed at how they had all come forward, as though preaching their ideas to me.

"Most of the mentors are in on it. The biggest issue inside the Games is the Careers. If they can survive long enough, we can break them out" He said and I couldn't help but notice the plan lacked depth.

"How do you know how to get them out?" They all grinned knowingly and I felt myself step back slightly at the sight of the three of them in sync.

"Let's just say we have someone on our side. Someone who knows a hell of a lot about how the Games are going to go down" More secrets but maybe it was for the best. I let out a deep breath.

"We'll have to tell Peeta" Something flashed across Johanna's face at the name but it passed too quickly for me to decipher it.

"Of course" Haymitch replied quickly.

"One more thing. Why haven't you done something before now?"

"Rebellion isn't a new idea Katniss, we just needed a symbol. We needed something or someone that people could get behind, someone to set it off. We needed you Katniss. You're the Mockingjay" I felt myself sway slightly. I couldn't be the face of a rebellion. I was just a girl from District 12 but maybe that was the point. I was the Underdog, just like the districts were to the Capitol. I found myself nodding as I stumbled away, distancing myself. That's what the girls in the woods were talking about. That's why they had the Mockingjay baked onto their cracker. I was the face of the rebellion.

"I just need a moment to think" I gave as way of explanation as I pushed the door open to the staircase in my hasty escape. I found myself on the roof. I needed air and my experience last year told me people weren't usually up there to watch your every move. I took deep breaths in the fresh air as I looked out. It really was mesmerizing until you thought of all that went on in the beauty and then it just seemed tragic, that something could be so terribly wonderful. I didn't notice someone coming to sit next to me; I was too encapsulated in my mind to pay attention to what was around me.

"Thought you'd be here" I flung my head around only to be met by the startling brown depths of the District 7 beauty's eyes.

"Why?" I questioned.

"It's where I like to come to think. It's peaceful. Why are you here girl on fire?" Her tone is uncharacteristically soft and the gentle expression on her face makes my heart leap against my ribs. I'm seeing many different sides to Johanna Mason tonight.

"I'm just… thinking" I stayed watching her face contort.

"I gathered that" She rolled her eyes. "What about?"

"All of this. It just seems that no matter where your life takes you, you're always cautiously sitting in Snow's hand, waiting for him to decide what to do with you. They say that you're free when you win the Games but this isn't freedom. Coming back here again and again, treating people like pigs for slaughter. This is my first time, it's barely started and I already can't take it. Then there's the keeping up of appearances. You keep your mouth shut and smile for all the cameras because if not - you're dead or your family is dead and then it's once again hushed up like it's nothing. I guess I'm just thinking about how pointless it all is. Maybe the only way to win freedom is to die."

"That's a lot of thoughts" She said lightly, trying to make a joke but I can see it in her eyes. She understands.

"Sorry. I'll just keep them to myself"

"Don't" She said quickly. "I get it. But we're fighting now Katniss. We're fighting for a freedom that isn't death. I can't tell you we'll win but it's better than being their pawns and if we do win I'd like you to be there" My throat felt dry and so I nodded instead of trying to form words to respond. She had spent the previous days acting cocky and baring me her body on numerous occasions and yet here she was being completely sincere.

"Well, this is getting kind of sentimental so I think I'm gonna go" She stood to leave but I wasn't ready. The quiet beat of her heart soothed me and I wasn't ready for it to be gone just yet. I grabbed her hand, basking in its warmth as it sat unsteadily in mine.

"Stay?" She looked down at me before slipping her fingers into the gaps between mine and sitting next to me again, close enough that our legs knocked into each other occasionally.

"Just this once" We don't speak after that but it didn't escape me that her hand never left mine, instead our hands rested in the small space between our bodies, the only evidence that she hadn't fallen asleep were the soft circles her thumb drew on the back of my hand. Her hand stayed in mine for most of the night. I don't know how it came to it but the last thing I remembered was waking up as she placed me onto my bed, gently caressing my arm with her fingertips before pulling the sheet over my body and walking out of the room.

The heat of her fingers burns across my skin all night long as the images of her gentle eyes haunt my every sleeping breath.


	8. Smile, Laugh, Lie

Chapter Eight – Smile, Laugh, Lie

_"The most common lie is that which one lies to himself; lying to others is relatively an exception." - Friedrich Nietzsche_

* * *

Avoidance – the act of shunning or avoiding, otherwise known as Johanna's apparent new favourite pastime. I had got in the elevator that morning, heading to meet Cinna who had come today to ready the tributes for the interviews tonight. The moving box had stopped at floor seven and as it opened there stood the woman I had spent the entire night thinking about. Only she didn't return the small smile I sent her, in fact she ducked her head and mumbled an almost incoherent sentence about using the stairs instead. I was a little confused. Mostly I was annoyed. She'd been so sweet and tender and now she was purposely going out of her way to not bump into me.

It wasn't only the elevator in which she ignored me. I went to floor seven after, looking to talk. To say I received some odd looks would be the understatement of the year but I kept walking despite the gawking. Only when I got to the room someone had pointed out was hers and knocked did I find out she wasn't in there. I would have thought it a coincidence had it not been for the flash of black hair and toned legs I saw racing around the corner.

Honestly I don't know what I was doing. Usually I don't care. Usually I'm the one doing the avoiding, pretending not to care, only I hadn't realized until this moment how much of a dick move it was. Only I didn't have time to wallow in self pity and I quickly decided that if she were going to avoid me, I'd do the same. I'd pretend it meant as little to me as she was acting it did to her. That's how I ended up pouring my all into the interview training.

"They're going to ask you about Quill indefinitely. Can you deal with that?" It's the first thing I said. We could talk about what angle she would play later, though mysterious seemed the obvious one since even I knew little about the girl. But that wasn't the most important thing. The most important thing was whether she was ready to be asked the inevitable onslaught of questions about the boy she volunteered to help. The boy she evidently loved.

"I'll probably feel the need to punch the interviewer in the face but I could probably avoid action for five minutes" She smirked and I looked at her intently for a moment before she let out a deep sigh, sagging in her chair slightly. "Yeah, I can deal with it" I nodded.

"I was told last year that abrasive is somewhat unbecoming, so smile and act like you love them all. They're shallow and eat that crap up"

"You'd think they'd have some kind of conscience. That they'd sit there and think, 'hey this is wrong' instead of clapping and placing bets"

"You'd think. But at least the bets will work in your favor since both you and Griffin got tens" She smiled, looking somewhat reminiscent of the event. They had returned after their private evaluations both looking half amused; half guilty which made a hell of a lot more sense when they recanted their tales. Apparently they were just as bad as me in terms of throwing the rules to the wind and being spontaneous. Griffin grinned and high fived Sophira when they had both been awarded tens and for a moment she looked happy and then her face dropped in what I assumed was the moment she realized she was to be pitted against him. The fifteen year old goofball that had put carrots up his nose at dinner, despite all of Effie's protests – who despite berating him for improper etiquette had let a small smile slip which almost went unnoticed – he was the boy who gushed about the girl with the swords and told us all of his mum back home and how he missed her. Her face dropped with guilt. With shame.

"Where is Griff anyway?" She questioned.

"He's with Peeta, practicing being charming, which I cannot do so you're stuck with me" She smirked deviously.

"Great, so I can ask you a question without being overheard" I opened my mouth to reply but simply nodded instead, shuffling in my chair at the look in her eye.

"What's going on with you and Mason. I saw you two last night. She carried you into your bedroom and then slumped against the door longingly for a couple of minutes before walking off telling herself to 'not be so stupid and get her shit together'. Did she try to kiss you and get rejected?" She slumped against the door? And what the hell does longing slumping look like? Maybe she did care more than she was letting on.

"No, she didn't try to kiss me. She said she needed to get her shit together?"

"Yep" I frowned. "The look on your face tells me something happened and since I'm basically dead in a couple of days you might as well divulge the information" I breathed a small laugh at her bluntness.

"Nothing happened really. We talked, she carried me to bed. There was maybe some hand holding in between" Her grin grew larger as I spoke until it stretched across her face blindingly.

"Oh so she has a crush on you" I rolled my eyes.

"Definitely not, she's been avoiding me all day"

"Oh so she has a crush on you that she probably shouldn't have so she's been hiding from you and brooding because she loves you so much" I rolled eyes again, beginning to think I should just have them constantly rolling with the amount they had been doing it these days.

"Very funny and you're not going to die in a couple of days" She noticed the blatant conversation change but she did nothing to stop it, instead she followed me on the new route easily.

"I'm going into the arena, if that isn't a death sentence – nothing is"

"I'm going to get you out. I just need you to survive for a little, preferably with Griffin in tow" She parted her lips to speak but I held my hand up to stop her. "Don't ask questions, just do it, okay?" She eyed me suspiciously.

"Okay" She replied simply.

"Good. Now, time to practice being allusive and endearing all at once"

* * *

It wasn't until the interviews started to commence that I bumped into Johanna and when I say bumped I do mean it literally.

I was turning the corner on the way to Peeta and the tributes when I crashed into a solid mass. I crashed to the floor unceremoniously, only realizing that the very thing I crashed into was lying upon me as I tried to stand up. It wasn't until I opened my eyes that I realized it was a person. The first thing I saw were black locks dripping onto my face. Then I met the brown eyes that rested beneath them and I was suddenly acutely aware of every piece of my body that touched the woman lying atop me. I trembled at the bare skin of her hip brushing against mine. Goosebumps erupted upon my skin at the feel of her breasts pushing into mine. Blood flushed my cheeks violently and I was glad a blush had taken over her face too. It wasn't until I heard someone's footsteps pass us by that I realized we had been lying there for a while, blatantly staring at one another.

"We should probably…" I gestured with my head and she seemed to burst out of her reverie, nodding in affirmation as she jumped to her feet and proceeded to pull me up along with her. I wondered for a moment why she was on the floor twelve but I quickly brushed it off as her coming to see Haymitch, since they were friends (in a sense) and they were working together.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't looking" She said.

"Obviously or you would have walked the other way in order to avoid me" The words were out of my mouth before I could catch them and she ducked her head bashfully, it would have been adorable had I not been annoyed. Okay. It was still adorable but I was pissed.

"About that it's-"

"Not you, it's me?" She sighed.

"No. I just can't do this Katniss. I can't let myself care for someone again. Not now" Again? I watched her face struggle with emotion but manage to stay blank, apart from her eyes that shone with a pain I didn't think I'd ever felt, a pain I couldn't comprehend because it was so different to my own. The sane part of my mind told me to walk away, to leave her be but the manic part of me latched onto the fact that she was avoiding me because she couldn't let herself care, meaning she thought she would end up caring for me. God, when did I become so sappy?

"I should go. Peeta is waiting for me" A look flashed across her face and it was one she had given me before at the mention of Peeta but this time I caught the look. Jealousy. It gave me hope. That was the moment I realized that even if she avoided me I would care for her. There was no going back now.

I managed to turn the corner without crashing into anyone the second time around, only I came face to face with a smirking Haymitch, the smug look on his face telling me he had been present for the entire encounter.

"Shut up" I said as I brushed past him, he spun quickly and fell into step beside me.

"I didn't say anything" He grinned.

"You didn't need to. I can see it all over your face" He didn't reply, he simple chuckled quietly as we reached the group surrounding the elevator. I come face to face with Griffin and Sophira who are wearing outfits much like ours had been last year. I thought they might have gone with something completely different in order to shock the crowd but the outfits from last year were outstanding and I suppose they enjoyed the new take on twelve instead of the old slutty miner outfits. The elevator opens and I watch as the tributes line up, thinking back to just last year when we had done the same thing. When Peeta had dropped us into the star crossed lovers mess despite his best intentions and the fact that he actually did feel those things for me. I quickly walked up to our tributes before they got into their seats.

"Just remember, you" I pointed to Griffin "Be charming, luckily there are no carrots to ruin it and you" I gestured to Sophira in the same way, "be mysterious and try your best not to punch anyone please, as much as it would be amusing, it would harm your chances" They each nodded before letting the corners of their mouth upturn in a small smile as they lined up with the others.

We sit on the reserved seating, ignoring the order that the tributes have to follow and instead having the mentors mix within each other, the Career districts sit to one side except for one man, who I recall being told was from District 2, he sits beside a small girl from 8 who's brown hair sits in a high pony tail and Johanna who seems to have strategically positioned herself as far away from me as possible. You can tell the mentor is from 2 by his build. His arms are bulky in a way that makes them sit awkwardly against his torso, which is also defined. He had the look of a stonemason or a blacksmith and I wondered whether he continued to work or if he had simply lived the simple life of a victor. The thing that made him stand out was the look on his face. His facial aesthetics were similar to that of someone from District 2, he had a chiseled jaw and shortly cropped sandy brown hair that sat, as styled as it could possibly be, upon his head but there was a shine in his eye that wasn't sinister, it was somewhat jovial and paired with the cheeky grin plastered on his face he didn't seem as though he were from 2. The smile he gave Johanna made me think there was a reason he looked different and that reason was he was part of the rebellion and he was definitely holding it back from his female counterpart who had a sour look of disgust firmly on her face.

I turned back to watch the interviews, though I didn't pay much attention until Dimba came onto the stage. I watched in utter silence, still bedazzled by the resemblance she held to Rue. It was hard to watch her sit there, talking of Rue and how she hoped to win in her honor because Rue shouldn't have died and even with the plan, there was a chance she would too. I zoned out until Sophira stepped forward almost cautiously, daintily setting herself down on the chair opposite Caesar, whose hair has been dyed a vibrant orange colour this year, he vaguely reminds me of an orange since his lips and eyelids are of the same tone but I don't say it aloud, I only snigger slightly at the sight.

"Sophira Swann" He said salaciously, as though he were whispering a juicy secret "Let's cut to the chase shall we?" He addressed the audience and they all cheered accordingly, though Sophira shuffled nervously in her seat.

"I think the question on everyone's lips is who this boy that you risked everything for is. Two volunteers in two years in a first for District 12 and I think it's safe to say yours was equally as heartbreaking as that of Miss Everdeen over there. So, why did you do it?" He lent forward expectantly and she sighed deeply before even daring to reply.

"I did it for Little Bean – Wren that is. I mean, you all saw her little face. She's a lover, not a fighter." The crowed coo accordingly and I can't help but smile at how well she's doing.

"And what of the boy? Can you tell us about him?" Caesar pressed and I watched her falter slightly before she regained herself.

"His name's Quill and I suppose you could say he's my everything or you could just call him a pain in my ass. Take your pick" Laughter erupts again and I think that she has ended up being charming in spite of my lessons.

"You must love him a lot if you're willing to do all of this just to save his sister" The lighting on the stage made the slight glistening in her eyes apparent and the crowd sat watching her silently battle with her emotions.

"They're all I've had for a long time and-"Her voice cracked and she blew out a short breath before she continued. "I'd rather be here, than watch a twelve year old girl be ripped from her brother and sent to fight. It was selfish really. I came here so I wouldn't have to watch her and now she has to watch me" A tear slipped from her eye and I could hear the sobs echoing around the room, she had them all in tears; she had them on her side.

"What was the last thing he said to you?"

"He said 'I'd always have his heart'" Her voice was drowning in emotion and even Caesar looked melancholy.

"What did you say?" He asked.

"I didn't say anything, my lips were busy doing other things" The crowd flipped suddenly, cheering in their tear filled tones at the implication and Sophira did her best to smirk but she still looked downtrodden.

"Well on that note, time's up. Best of luck, Sophira Swann, tribute from District 12!" Caesar called and the crowd erupted in cheers and whistles, I couldn't believe how well she had done. I was proud and thankful, at least getting sponsors wouldn't be solely based on my cheery personality. Griffin walked on stage next and he looked even more fearful, as though he were wondering how he could ever top that but he put a grin on his face and waved, making the muscles on his arms dance and in turn some of the girls in the crowd giggle. I spotted Eliyua a couple of seats back and she had a small smile on her face, a face that had been completely void of emotion until he had stepped onto the stage.

"Griffin, I must say you're a handsome lad" He began and Griffin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"If you're going to hit on me Caesar you have to do it quick before you miss you chance" The crowd chuckled and a few girls in the rows towards the front shouted his name adoringly.

"I'll keep that in mind. Now your reaping seemed somewhat overlooked after the spectacle with Sophira, how were you feeling at the time?"

"Like you'd expect I suppose. Scared, but not for me. It's just me and my mum now and she's been my rock and I've been my mothers, I just hope with me gone that she'll be able to stand on her own two feet, like I'm learning to do myself" The crowd seemed to have once again be brought to tears. I suppose that's our trademark by this point – 'District 12, they enter in flames, you'll leave in tears'.

"Any special ladies in your life apart from your mother" He blushed and I found myself smiling at the endearing boy. He rubbed his neck nervously before a smirk set into place and he finally replied.

"Oh definitely, me and Katniss are in love, we're actually calling ourselves Star Crossed 2.0." He grinned cheekily and I watched as the camera panned to me, I nodded my head good naturedly before blowing him a kiss which he mimed catching before putting it into his pocket. Caesar chuckles before leaning forward and asking again.

"Very funny but seriously, any girls?"

"Technically no" He says though his eyes survey the crowd until they fall on Eliyua who is staring back, although I doubt they can see each other too clearly from the distance between them. He smiles when he finds her and dresses the rest of his answer specifically to her "But let's just say swords over bows" The crowd lets out appreciative ahh's at his answer and Caesar's grin rivals the Cheshire cat at the answer.

"Mysterious. Well everyone that's it from Griffin Pyrmont, tribute from District 12!" I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding despite how well it had gone and rose from my seat to get out quickly, only Johanna seemed to have had the same idea because we once again collided. But this time she caught me before I fell, wrapping her solid arms tightly around me to stop me crashing to the floor at first, but after a few seconds I needed her steady arms to stop my legs from crumbling from beneath me. My eyes flickered around the room to where the mentors watched, attentively and curiously. I can't say I blamed them though because even I was curious at the situation because she had her eyes squeezed shut and I could feel her lungs filling with oxygen each time her body pressed into mine before it moved away again and the same air entered my lungs.

"We need to stop meeting like this" I said jokingly and she released a short laugh that was really nothing but a short puff of breath.

"I suppose it's my fault for being so irresistible you keep literally throwing yourself into my arms" Her words came out in a husk and I felt my stomach churn deliciously at the tone. She let me go then and she took a large step back, gesturing me to leave first. I smiled and took one last look at the mentors who were still inspecting the situation inquisitively. My last look was at Peeta and it lingered on his furrowed brow as he tried to put the pieces together. I imagined it would take him a while since even I didn't know how they fit together by this point. I perused the small crowd one last time before walking past Johanna and out of the stands. As I strolled past Johanna I had the bizarre feeling that someone was watching my ass sashay from the room, when I looked over my shoulder to see the axe wielding woman with a cocked eyebrow and her bottom lip caught between her teeth I realized I'd been right.

I hoped she enjoyed the view before she walked head first into a wall.


	9. Into The Woods

Chapter Nine – Into The Woods

"_The important thing is this: to be able, at any moment, to sacrifice what we are for what we could become." - __Maharishi Mahesh Yogi_

* * *

I awoke that morning with a jolt. Fear coursed through my veins, violently lashing at the walls, begging me to listen, as if I weren't, as if I could possibly have thought of anything else in that moment. My heart thumped. My mouth ran dry. My arms trembled, no matter how hard I tried to keep them still. I wasn't afraid for myself. The thought occurred to me that I hadn't really paid attention to my own well being for quite some time. I was too busy being afraid for others, for the two tributes that were about to be thrust into the arena.

It wasn't until I saw them nervously standing, waiting to be told it was time that my breath hitched. We have a plan, I kept telling myself, though I knew practically nothing of it, I knew nothing of how we were supposed to save them or how that was somehow going to change anything in this morally corrupt existence. I told myself to have hope. To let myself believe it would work out. But how could something as perfect as hope exist in the realm of death and torture I didn't know, and I wasn't sure how I was supposed to.

I don't know how long I stood beside them, simply joining them in the joyless silence. What I do know however was how I felt – like a failure. I was a mentor and sure they could fight, heck in the heat of the moment maybe they'd even find it in themselves to kill, but I didn't teach them how to deal with death, how to deal with themselves after what they'd done. Partially because even I wasn't sure if you could and partially because I didn't want to look them in the eye and tell them that, that in the darkest depths of my mind I thought you were supposed to continue drowning until your lungs gave up and finally took that deep, relieving breath, letting the water subdue the voice in your head that told you, you were a monster.

It wasn't until I felt a somewhat calming presence at my side that I managed to overcome my thoughts. Peeta stood beside me, looking sullen, watching them stare at the clock helplessly. I could tell he felt useless because I felt that way too but Haymitch had a small smile on his face, despite the glint in his eyes that told me even after all these years, even he hated this day – this moment. But at least he managed to say something in the spaces in which the rest of us failed to even blink.

"Here" He said into the nothingness and everyone turned to him abruptly, shocked by the disturbance of silence. "Wear these and look for anyone else who has one, those are your allies, they'll help you remember who the real enemy is" I looked at what he held in his hands for each of them to take. His left hand lay still in front of Sophira, the gold of the necklace glistened in his palm and she gingerly picked it up between her forefinger and thumb, letting the pendant spin gently in the air. I watch the engraved symbol of a mockingjay flash past my eyes as she clipped it around her neck. It was a symbol of rebellion, a symbol of a revolution, a symbol of freedom. His right hand presented a similar item to Griffin, a small mockingjay carved into a simple gold bangle that he put on his wrist swiftly. I felt myself smile at Haymitch and he replied in kind quickly before turning and muttering something about talking to Effie.

"Good luck, both of you. Just a little something I learned last year, it's actually a trade secret" He gestured them to come in close and they obliged, he looked around suspiciously for a moment before returning his attention to them and whispering, "Don't get killed" They chuckled halfheartedly and the sound was akin to my favourite symphony, a small moment of joy before everything fell apart. Peeta left after that and it was just me and them. They watched me with curious eyes as I opened and closed my mouth a few times.

"I'm no good with words" I settled on eventually, though I had to get it out so I tried again. "I told you I'd get you out, and I will. But the arena does things to you. It might change you in ways you never imagined, but please try and fight it because I've had enough of that place replacing people with broken shells"

"And you say you're not good with words" Were Griffins only words as he walked away with Portia. Sophira stayed back, wringing her hand nervously in front of herself, a look of fear and determination in her eye but the way she watched me made me think it wasn't just the Games that had her on edge. It wasn't until she threw her arms around me, holding her lips to my ear to speak that I realized why.

"I'm not from 12" She said, almost incoherently and she continued as my body stiffened in her grip "It's why no one knows me. I was born in 13, but I saw how every year we would hide and you would all fight. My family rebelled. My mother and father they-" Her hoarse voice, caught and I felt myself tugging her closer, holding her tighter, silently pleading for her to continue. "They were killed but I escaped and found shelter with Quill. That was five years ago. I should have told you but they'll be outrage and I couldn't have them throwing Wren in my place. I needed you to know, that it still exists, that the Capitol are lying to us all. Even more than you think" With her heart hammering against my chest, I didn't have the heart to tell her I already knew so I pulled away and looked at her reassuringly before squeezing her arms and letting my own fall back to my side. She started to walk to Cinna then but before she reached him she turned back and called.

"Don't tell anyone, promise?"

"I promise" Those were the last words I told her before she left. Before I was whisked up by Effie to go to Games Headquarters. I wouldn't tell anyone, not just because of the chance of outrage but because she rebelled, like me she didn't like the decision she was dealt and so she fought against it, she deserved my trust, she earned it, and I sure as hell wasn't going to let her down.

* * *

Headquarters stood with an immensity I wasn't sure really existed. It shrouded the buildings around it in shame and shadows. It was breathtaking and yet everything inside, while also breathtaking, was meant in a more literal sense of the word. I stared up the building, watching the intricate carvings and columns swirl around the building.

As soon as we entered the building we were corralled into an enormous room with the rest of the mentors, I resisted as first until I realized everyone else appeared calm, the mentors caught my eye next and I realized this was the main room for watching, for plotting and persuading. The room, like the entire building, would have looked out of place within District 12; it screamed money and the guards darted around on the doors screamed power, or at least, a misuse of it. The crowds of people created thunderous mumbles as they all talked among themselves but I said nothing, partly because I didn't trust my voice, and partly because Johanna stood directly beside me and her arm brushed against my every few seconds. I was brought out of my reverie by Haymitch's voice.

"How's Annie?" He asked Finnick, who grinned happily. I observed it for a moment before I realized it was different to the usual smile he planted on his face – it was real. I racked my brain, trying to think of who Annie was but nothing was coming to mind. I certainly hadn't seen him with anyone.

"She's great thanks" They broke off into conversation and I took the chance to turn to the woman by my side, knowing her and Finnick had an unlikely friendship thus she was bound to have the answers I had been looking for.

"Who's Annie?" I asked abruptly and she turned to me looking solemn.

"Annie Cresta" She supplied and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her, simply staring at her incredulously until she continued. "She won like, 5 years ago" It dawned on me who she was, but that couldn't have been right, women practically threw themselves at Finnick, perhaps he was less shallow then he lead everyone to believe.

"The one that went a little…" I trailed off, not having the heart to say it aloud though she instantly knew who I was talking about because she nodded.

"Love is weird" She said and I couldn't help but think she had said it as an offhanded comment but it resonated within me. She was right. In fact, I don't think she'd ever said anything more right to me the past couple of days. Though in reality, most things in existence are weird. Attraction for one, which I knew first hand from finding a sweaty, angry Johanna Mason extremely sexy when everyone else thought she looked like a manic murderer. I couldn't say what I felt for the woman was love, having only known her for a few days but the strain in my heart at the pain etched across her features made me think maybe I was leaning that way, if I wasn't already there. Staying away from her at that point was pointless because I was coming to the conclusion that I was already too far gone.

"That sounds like experience" The darkness in her eyes dissipated for a moment and I expected a joke or an innuendo to come my way but the light clouded over again and her words cut like a knife.

"There's no one left I love" She walked away swiftly but before I could follow in her wake a voice rang out and began to countdown, in turn everyone turned their gazes to the screens and I realized it was about to begin. In five seconds the screens would come alive with images of fear, and mutilation, and death. I felt sick. The screens came alight and my heart thudded in my ears.

There was a second where each and every tribute rose onto their podiums, each of them looked disorientated, terrified, angry but then the cornucopia sounded and it flashed away as quickly as it came, each of them diving in the water in a race to the supplies, some with more certainty than others. I watched as Sophira emerged quickly, grabbing a backpack and knives from the stash, throwing her head around restlessly as she determinedly searched for Griffin in the chaos. A brute of a boy from District 1 was the second to emerge however and she quickly ran along the strips between the podiums and into the adjacent forest.

I looked at the screen that displayed the outlay of the arena. It appeared to be a large dome. It all centred on the cornucopia in the middle, splitting into twelve different segments that were each covered with forest and yet there were slight differences to each. A beach lay at the border of the trees, melting into the sea in which the podiums stood. I briefly wondered how they would fair in the woods. It was a lot different than the training room. That was the moment it occurred to me that I hadn't seen Griffin come out of the water.

I flicked my eyes to each of the screens, watching and praying for Griffin to appear. It took a moment before I saw the small black haired girl from District 8 lift his bloody head above the water. Briefly I wondered how she was managing to keep herself and him above water. I'd seen her in the training centre and she must have been around five foot two, give or take a few inches. She wasn't only small in height, her body was petite making her look much younger than the sixteen years I knew she had. She soon struggled to pull his weight along in the waves, the effort she was exerting was plainly written on her pixie like face but she kept swimming until she had reached a small beach, where she was pulled onto the shore by the male tribute from eight that had three backpacks and weapons set in front of him. Griffin smiled up at her, his face looked dazed but he stood up sharply, picking up the sword upon the sand and thanking the two tributes.

"What's your name?" He said as she collected her bearings.

"Sariah. This is Horne" Griffin nodded before a look of curiosity passed over his face.

"Why'd you save me? You could have been hurt" Sariah walked away and Griffin jogged to catch up with her, a repeat of his question ready on his lips before she beat him to it.

"We're allies" She replied simply, lifting her forefinger to show the intricate ornate ring that contrasted against the pale skin of her hand and was the home of a small mockingjay symbol. I smiled letting my eyes drift from the screen and to the District 8 mentors that looked genuinely proud of their tributes, they spared me a nod before returning to the screen.

"Katniss" I turned at the sound of my name pouring from Haymitch's lips "Take a break, schmoozing starts later and I don't need you being agitated and rude" I sighed despite the fact that he was right, I was already on edge and if I continued down this path it would quickly turn into anger.

I stepped out of the room thinking of how the building was so different from the training center and yet some things were so similar like the beauty of the skyline from the view on the roof. I didn't even know where I was going when I strolled past the guards and out of the doors, I aimlessly followed the stairs until there were none left and I ended up watching the sky as the wind whipped my hair around my face.

A cough to my side brought me out of my daydream and I looked across the roof to see Johanna standing at the edge looking over. I smiled sheepishly before gesturing over my shoulder.

"Sorry, I'll just leave y-"

"Stay" She interjected and I smiled at the similarity of the situation.

"Just this once" I replied jokingly and she let a small smile escape before she turned back to the landscape. I didn't have the guts to hold her hand again but it rested directly next to hers and I could feel the heat radiating against my skin, sending flutters through my body. I thought back to the feel of her hand in mine. I had never realized how cold my hands were until she held them between her fingers and showed me what warmth was. Her hands were soft, though small ridges stood out upon her almost flawless skin. The scars made me like her hands even more though. Each jagged mark told a story, showed a faint piece of Johanna that she otherwise hid. But I didn't feel the story today, I simply asked.

"You said there's no one left you love, which makes me think you loved someone once" She laughed humorlessly, refusing to meet my eye.

"Everyone has a family Katniss" She stared into space.

"What happened to yours?" She flung her head round to me now, a snarl on her lips but unshed tears glistening in her deep brown eyes.

"Are you trying to tempt me into throwing you over the edge Girl on Fire?" I gently shook my head.

"No" I answered plainly.

"Then why are you pushing your luck?" Her usual bite wasn't gone from her tone, though her voice was laced with emotion.

"Because you won't throw me over the edge" I challenged and she continued to stare me down.

"And why's that?"

"You care" I stated shortly and she shook her head angrily, though I don't think the anger was direction at me. She slammed her fists against the edge, little cracks forming around her hands at the force she exerted upon the weakening structure. She took a shaky breathe before she even dared to answer.

"When I won I thought I was free. I thought my family and I were safe, and then Snow came. He strolled into my home, like he was King, like he owned me. The look on his face still plays in my mind and it makes me feel sick." I watched her replay the moment in her mind, each feeling flashing across her face. The pain was evident. The fear was apparent. The anger was blatant. Her regret was obvious.

"What happened?" I pushed, staring into her watery pools as though I would find the answers there myself, as though all of her secrets would be revealed to me just like that.

"He wanted me to sell myself. To whore myself out to the wealthy, like some novelty prize, some foreign delicacy. _Who wants to fuck a victor?!_" She shouted angrily and I felt myself flinch, not because of her or how she said it but because it what she said. I always knew Snow was a sick, masochistic man but this was despicable. They said we were free, but that's not freedom, do they even know what freedom is at this point?

"I refused. I was in love. I didn't want to lose her. I didn't want to lose myself. Her name was Scarlett. He killed her" I watched a stray tear make its way down her face, rolling along her trembling cheek. I was acutely aware of the blurring of my own vision in response. I lifted a shaking arm to her face, lightly holding her jaw as I wiped the liquid away with my thumb. She leaned into my touch almost undiscernibly. I suppose the move must have been unconscious because she drifted from my touch as soon as she noticed what she had done.

"Snow killed her and he killed my entire family because I refused him. I've been alone, not because I'm a bitch or I'm cold hearted but because it hurt so much that I can't do it again" I reached for her face once again and she mimicked her previous action, though her head stayed in place this time. Her eyes were full of fear, the knot in my stomach got stronger. "I can't Katniss. Weren't you listening? I can't lose someone again"

"If you're avoiding me it means you care. Do you really think it's going to hurt any less if you lose me now, before the inevitable happens?" I shifted closer. I let the hand on her skin, run along her jaw until it mingled with the hairs at the back of her neck. I felt her goose bumps play with my fingertips and the knot in my stomach tugged violently. Our faces were inches away. My eyes flicked to her lips, just a fleeting glance but she saw it, and her entire body shook, with anticipation? With fear? I didn't know.

"Just say stop and I'll let it go." I leaned closer.

"One word and it's done" I inched in.

"Say it" I prompted her but she said nothing, she simply inhaled a large breath, exhaling loudly, her breath playing across my lips.

"Come on Jo" I said. I didn't have a chance to move then. Her lips were on mine before I even had a chance to think. I didn't react at first, too shocked to move, to breathe. She pushed her lips harder against mine until I snapped out of it and kissed back. Her lips danced against mine, parting and probing my mouth with her tongue until I granted her access and her tongue cautiously met mine. I kissed her passionately. I kissed her to the point that I could feel my lips bruising. It didn't help my breathing that she nipped lightly at my bottom lip before continuing her ministrations. She sucked the air from the lungs at the very same moment she renewed the life within me. My lungs burned. My mind screamed. Her fingers desperately clutched at my shirt, pinching my skin piercingly but I didn't stop. I didn't even know if I could anymore. She was intoxicating. She was bewildering. She was delicious. She finally ripped her lips from mine, her pants crashing into my lips like waves on the shore.

"I swear to God if you die now Brainless I'll-"I cut in.

"Hunt me down in the afterlife and rip my throat out?" She chuckled silently before pressing a tender kiss to my lips.

"Always"


	10. Uncovered

Chapter Ten – Uncovered

"_Happiness is a pause between two moments of suffering" – Ajahn Brahm_

* * *

The wind that violently hissed and whipped relentlessly seemed a distant memory as Johanna held me in her arms, every once in a while dropping a kiss to my head or simply pressing her lips to mine in a meeting that was chaste and yet told me all I needed to know. We must have stayed like that for a while because the only reason we parted was the slam of the roof door opening against the wall. We whipped apart in a second and in a fit of panic flung our heads to see who had broken our moment of serenity. All my fears that it would be someone who would reveal that fact that me and Peeta weren't really an item dissipated when I saw Peeta himself staring at us from the doorway.

"Sorry" He choked thickly and I felt my heart squeeze at the look that flashed through his eyes, though there was something else sitting there, something that to me looked like understanding. But there was a high chance that was simply hope on my part because I never wanted to hurt him. He was my friend and I loved him. Just, not in the way that he wanted me to.

"Haymitch said it's time to schmooze" I nodded dumbly and gave Johanna a small smile before walking through the door that he stood holding open. Always the gentlemen. He followed a few steps behind me as we descended the stairs but I couldn't take the silence that followed him.

"I'm sorry" I mumbled pathetically but the look on his face wasn't anger, no, the small smile that graced his lips held nothing but sadness and dare I say acceptance.

"Honestly I thought it was Gale I had to worry about but I see I was way off with that assessment" He joked and I found myself chuckling at the assessment. His face turned serious for a moment and he caught my arm, stopping me from walking any further ahead.

"Seriously Katniss I get it. I've seen the way you look at her and as much as I'd like you to look at me like that, I understand. Maybe one day someone will stare at me like I'm their whole world" I hesitantly raised my hand to his face, laying my palm on his cheek soothingly and watching as he lent into the warmth – Johanna's warmth. I kissed his other cheek gently, a barely there press of lips to his skin.

"It would be so easy to love you and any girl will see that. You're a stud Peeta Mellark, and you bake amazing bread, which is basically all a girl wants" He grinned and pulled away from me before stepping past with a mischievous look in his eye.

"I actually heard that it was 'boobs over bread' and I was thinking of getting them done, I'm sure there is someone in the Capitol that'll do it" I felt the laugh shake in my chest as we reached the doors of the dreaded room. I thought back to that moment in the elevator when Johanna had simply dropped her dress, like it were nothing but a nuisance – which after seeing her naked I was inclined to agree with. I wasn't sure how Peeta had come to know what had happened within that box but I had the sneaking suspicion Griffin had told him in a moment of weakness. I smiled at the memory of the boy, knowing I needed to be ready to help him, to be ready to put on my best act to get them on his side. Their side. Thankfully they had saved us most of the effort by being irrevocably charming. I once again stared at the wooden doors, bracing myself as I turned to Peeta. He looked at me questioningly, silently asking me if I were ready to do this. I put on my best smile and took his hand in my own, my smile became more real as he gave it a small squeeze. I smiled at the gesture. It wasn't laced with any underlying meaning, it was simply reassuring. We were alright. We were friends. Peeta would always be there by my side no matter what I decided. I nodded that I was ready to go and he pushed open the door pulling me through with him.

It didn't look much different to earlier accept the usual blandness of the mentors contrasting against the mass influx of colour that came from anyone from the Capitol. Reds, blue, yellows, greens and just about every other colour of the rainbow and their varying shades burst into the room like fireworks, exploding my senses. I watched the dizzying array of shades swirl around the room in a rehearsed parade as they spoke to each of the districts, listening to their stories and laughing with an intensity that was obviously faked since half of the mentors faces showed that they were too tense and too bored to come up with any new whimsical stories to impress the superficial socialites.

I don't know how she ever managed to do it due to the explosions going off in my mind at the overwhelming sights but Effie caught my attention, motioning for us to come to her. As soon as we reached her she motioned to a suave yet slimy looking man in front of her. Comparing him to a snake would be correct in every sense of the word. His eyes glowed with a vibrant, gem like green, the colour only being distorted by the small slit of black that was his pupil in the middle of his iris. His eyes emanated danger and the fang like teeth that he bared in his smile put me on edge and yet I slipped my hand into his outstretched one, allowing him to pull me forward and plant to – rather wet – kisses to each of my cheeks.

"Katniss Everdeen" The lisp that seeped into his speech only enhanced the snake imagery and Haymitch watched him with curious eyes, though Effie seemed none the wiser of this man's strange appearance. "I'm Viper Periculum" Of course it was.

"Pleasure" I said and he grinned again, though his eyes never strayed too far from Effie who seemed to be painfully aware of the situation much to the chagrin of Haymitch who face contorted into what looked suspiciously like annoyance with a dash of jealousy. I daren't tell Haymitch that I could feel Effie's fingers piercing my skin with the brutish force she had to exert just to keep the sickeningly sweet smile plastered on her considerably less decorated face. It may have been mean but I was having far too much fun watching him angrily glare at the man who paid him as little attention as possible. Thankfully, for my arm and for the protruding vein of Haymitch's forehead, he had enough control over his eyes to pull them away from the Capitol beauty and settle them upon Peeta and I.

"Effie here has caught my attention over your two tributes" I bet she did. "But I do wonder whether you've somehow concocted a plan to keep them both alive, like you did yourselves" His face implied he was being amicable, simply making a small joking comment but the underlying tone of his voice told me he was genuinely curious. I let a small chuckle rumble from my chest. Fluttering my eyelids in a way that projected girlishness. I'd failed at it when Haymitch and I had attempted to practice it for my interview but it hadn't worked then, the priceless look of the man's face however, told me I had succeeded in it today.

"Why ever would you think that? I only did it for love" He grinned, seemingly happy with the explanation as he cooed at the two of us still standing side by side.

"So no sneaky tricks?" He asked.

"No" Yes.

"In that case, my sponsorship is all yours 12, treat it well" I let a sweet smile grace my lips. He turned to Effie then, blatantly ignoring Peeta and apparently still pretending that Haymitch didn't even exist. He caught her hand in his own before raising it to his lips and pressing a lingering kiss on her alabaster skin. He let his eyes flutter closed as he left his lips there for longer than he perhaps should have. Though, I didn't know that because I was adept at social cues or even because it had begun to feel awkward and tense. No, I knew that he had done it for too long because Haymitch pulled him away gruffly and friendly all at once before shaking his hand in a grip that left red marks upon the man's skin as he offered to show him to the door. A polite decline later left the four of us standing there, each quietly trying to process the situation.

"Well he was…" I trailed off.

"Interesting" Was Peeta's continuation and it only took that to spark up the bearded man.

"Interesting? That man was slippery and odd" He stated gruffly as he watched Effie from the corner of his eye. I followed his line of sight and watched as she tried to wipe the sheen of spit from her hand without anyone noticing, because far be it for her to show any signs of not having perfect manners.

"Careful Haymitch you almost sound…" Peeta left it open and I sent him a smirk before continuing.

"Jealous" The word made Effie's head snap up from her ministrations. The lack of pristine white powder on her face made the blush that rose up her neck all that more evident as she curiously watched Haymitch stutter for a moment. I wondered how long they had known each other seeing as Haymitch had been the only living victor in District 12 for quite some time and I couldn't remember having someone other than Effie walk into our district and reap the victors. I briefly let myself wonder if anything had happened between the two. They seemed to share a strange bond despite the fact that they clashed on things such as manners and excessive alcohol consumption. I dismissed the idea however when I looked at the gaze shared between them, nothing more than school boy awkwardness and crushes. It was cute really and hopeful that something so innocent could still exist here.

"At least I'm not wistful. Gosh Miss Mason you're _beautiful_" He mimicked with an impression that seemed half me, half country bumpkin. I scowled.

"How many people did Griffin tell?" I exclaimed and he chuckled.

"Who knows, though I must say he told the story wonderfully" I shook my head, exasperated. Haymitch grinned one last time before sending a wink in Effie's direction (who had the sense to look startled and flick her head to see if anyone was around in case it wasn't actually her he had directed it at) before he walked off no doubt on a quest of searching for liquor, though it wouldn't take him long to find some.

"What are you waiting for?" Effie asked and we looked at each other curiously before she elaborated. "Go talk to people" She stated simply and we stepped in different directions in search of someone to talk to.

It didn't take me long to fall into conversation, apparently we were quite the sideshow here. I was midway through a conversation, well a very one sided conversation in which I listened to a considerably old woman recant her tales of love and loss as though I would somehow be able to offer her advice when she reached the end of her journey of words. I felt a sense of relief when someone saddled up beside me and I turned expecting to see Peeta offering moral support. Instead I met the eyes of the woman whose lips I could still feel burning upon my own.

"Daria Quartz!" She exclaimed happily and I wondered how she managed to slip into this persona. However it was she did it I was glad because the life story I was being told ceased as she pulled the older victor in for a strangely familiar hug.

"Miss Mason, you're familiar with Miss Everdeen here?" She asked kindly, clearly prepared to make introductions. It occurred to me that Johanna must not have really ever tried to talk to many other mentors, she probably spent too much time being snide and making comments in such a nature that people couldn't discern whether she was being serious or sarcastic.

"Oh we're familiar" To an outsider it would have seemed like an entirely normal reply and yet I could hear the insinuation seeping into the tone and I felt myself shiver as she laid her palm against the small of my back, allowing her thumb to draw shapes through the flimsy material. Despite the sweltering heat that coursed through my veins like wild fire Daria did nothing but grin and open her mouth to begin her story. From the beginning of course, because we wouldn't have wanted Johanna to miss the entire first half of the novel of her life.

Somehow it was more bearable the second time around but I was painstakingly aware that it hadn't got any more interesting. Not even in the slightest. No. It was more bearable because the words sank into the silence that screamed in my mind as the District 7 woman found anyway she could to make my heart race without catching the attention of anyone in the room.

The caresses were calming and exhilarating and I wondered how she managed to keep her face expressionless.

I certainly couldn't do it.

I couldn't even get my heart to stop hammering in my chest.


	11. Weakness

In the interest of full disclosure I will admit that I flailed a little when I found this chapter's quote - I quite literally fell off my bed at the perfection I happened upon. In other matters, here is chapter 11 which is just Joniss and then some more Joniss. Enjoy.

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Chapter Eleven - Weakness

"_The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread." – Mother Teresa_

* * *

"Stop it" Those were the first words to expel from my lips the moment that Daria finally finished her story. Well at least, I think she finished. I vaguely heard her say something about finding love before smiling at a salt and pepper haired man that grinned adoringly in her direction and then saying that she was glad Johanna had found a friend. But, in all honesty I hadn't been paying attention to much of anything since Johanna had placed her hands on my body. I don't even know what it was that had me so utterly on edge. She had laid her hands in the most casual of places – the small of my back, the crease of my arm, my face (though that one had been less innocent and more of a caress as she insisted she should boldly corral my hair back behind my ear, all the while running the pads of her fingers along the bare expanse of skin).

She put on a mask of innocence as she replied with a confused, "Stop what?"

"Putting your hands… everywhere" I watched her eyebrows arch. She knew as well as I did that she hadn't really done anything and yet my entire body was alive, each and every one of my nerve endings screaming at me as the burn of her touch scorched them with indifference. I couldn't help it however. There was something loaded in her touch. Every time her fingers touched my skin I felt the gun load itself and shiver as she gently braced her forefinger on the trigger, the endless possibilities sitting right at her fingertips as I waited, staring down the barrel of a loaded gun for her to make her move.

"I have put my hands everyone Brainless, well, not yet anyway" I released a breath, feeling the air cautiously shake from my lungs at the implications. My body trembled as I grabbed onto a neighboring chair, trying to ignore the way she made me feel. Finnick was right to call her a forest fire, I could feel her words burning, passionately and violently through my body, leaving no time to recuperate, no time to even think before everything was engulfed by her smirk that hid the real beautiful smile underneath, the one that shone through the cracks in her façade despite all she did to make herself seem like a cold hearted bitch.

"I won't say it again" Her grin stretched wider.

"That's because you don't want to." She leaned closer. I felt my back crash against the table. I vaguely heard the tableware clatter and clink over the sound of the blood rushing in my ears. I watched the room from the corner of my eye, waiting for someone to question the position. No one spoke. No one even looked our way. I looked back at her, watching her lips as they descended towards my ear. Her breath was scorching. Her hands lingered on my hips – a whisper of a touch that caused violently screams in my mind.

"In fact" She continued. "What you really want is for me to slip my hands here" She coupled the words with the trailing of her hands, each syllable dripping from her lips as her hands grazed down my body until she reached my thighs, digging her nails in and making me bite my lip with vehement to stop myself from whimpering over the assortment of sensations coursing through my veins.

"Why's that?" I managed to choke out defiantly and I felt a short chuckle burst against my neck, coercing goose bumps from my skin.

"Because it's the perfect vantage point for me to do this" My brow furrowed confusedly, but only for an instant before she gripped my thighs tighter, effortlessly lifting my legs from the floor and wrapping them around herself as she clashed our bodies together, catching me between the soft curve of her figure and the hard roughness of the wall, that was quickly forgotten when her lips met my neck. The nagging voice in the back of my head told me people would see. We were in the middle of a room and by God where the sounds coming from my mouth anything but quiet. I moaned as she bit down on my pulse point, basking in the sting of her pointed incisors scraping deliciously against my skin. This wasn't right though. People would see. People would know. Johanna would never do this. My mind shut down as she ground her hips into me. My eyes slammed shut. I opened them at the sound of a voice. That certainly wasn't Johanna's it was slow, and boring, the kind of voice that sent you to… Sleep. I ripped my eyes open.

Daria watched me cautiously "Are you alright Miss Everdeen? You look a little flushed" I flung my head around the room, everything was normal, except for the panicked look on Johanna's face. She was rather adorable when she was worried, though I imagine her next axe would be for me had I actually said that aloud.

"Fine, thank you. Please continue, your story is riveting" She gladly continued, her hands moving animatedly as she gushed about her many experiences and random stories that didn't consist of any too interesting, though she was genuine in her talk and I could see how Johanna had somehow made this woman's acquaintance without strangling her or making her hate her. Evidently, she was aware that the woman's stories didn't hold much of merit however because her perfectly crafted eyebrows once again shot up imploringly, searching for a reason for me to subject myself to such torture. I didn't allow my eyes to linger. I pulled them from her gaze and listened to the story coming from the lulling lips of Daria Quartz.

* * *

I had pretty much sprinted out of the room after the sponsors had to leave; Daria's story had run its course – thankfully – and I had managed to escape since apparently the knot in my stomach hadn't left quite so easily. My first thought was to run to the roof, only that was her place as much as mine and she would easily find me. Truthfully, there wasn't really anywhere that I could go that she wouldn't track me down. That's how I ended up in my room because although she would find me wherever I was, this door had a lock and I could at least have a door between me and her instead of having me between her and a door. Apparently I was right in my assumption that she would find me regardless because there was an insistent banging on my door only around thirty minutes after I had hid behind it.

"Katniss, are you actually hiding from me in your room?" She chuckled incredulously and I could practically hear the smile through the door.

"I'm not hiding" I replied defiantly.

"You literally tripped over yourself in your haste to get out of that room and then you locked yourself in your room. Sounds like hiding to me." I could still hear the smug grin curving its way around her words and I found myself walking towards the door. I didn't open it. My brain somehow retained enough sense not to do that. I heard a sigh.

"Will you at least tell me why you're hiding?" She questioned and I my own sigh mingled with the one she left hanging thickly in the air.

"I can't trust myself around you" I stated plainly and I could picture the way her brow would furrow at the statement before her mind formed a reply.

"And why's that Miss Everdeen?" I shuddered at the way my name sounded dripping from her tongue, and that was exactly why I couldn't open the door – my mind had already thought of too many things her tongue could be doing other than speaking and I'd never thought such things before. Heck, I hadn't done anything other than kiss anyone and suddenly she was clouding with my mind with multiple unspeakable things. I should have been thinking about the tributes and how to help them but I couldn't because I had found my weakness. Another chink in my armor. Her.

"I just… can't" I heard a scrape against the door, followed by a thump on the floor, something that I assumed was her dropping to the floor. My suspicions were confirmed when her voice burst through the door again at a much lower level.

"I suppose I'll just have to sit here until you decide to come out" She said.

"You wouldn't" I replied.

"Oh but I would" She was right. Stubborn girl.

"And just how are you going to explain that to anyone who passes?" I challenged.

"I'll tell them you were supposed to meet me for sex but you never showed up and I couldn't get in so I just sat down to wait since I heard the Girl On Fire really knows how to make you burn" I blushed and stuttered before flicking the lock and almost ripping the door off it's hinges open in my haste to open it. The words tumbling from her mouth drove me crazy and honestly I shouldn't have let her in but it somehow seemed easier than having to explain her outside my door since we both knew she would have told any passer by exactly what she had told me and the brooding look she almost constantly possessed would make them believe her.

I laughed as she fell onto her back after having her rest taken away but my breath was knocked from my lungs when she smiled carelessly up at me through her lashes.

"Gets 'em every time" She smirked self indulgently.

"Okay Temptress, just come inside before I have to explain it" She jumped to her feet and slinked into the room, looking half childish, half salacious, in a mix that made my heart malfunction and my mind slap itself for being so incredibly weak when it came to her incredible-

"Ass" I muttered and luckily she didn't understand the context so she simply acted wounded as she sat, somewhat cautiously on my bed.

"I've been thinking about you" She blurted quickly and I noticed that she had begun to look as nervous as I felt. I walked over to my bed and took a seat beside her.

"M-me too, well, not thinking of me but well, you. I've been thinking about you" Her smile was more confident now but there was an uncertainty still clasping onto its resting place in her eyes.

"No Katniss. I've been _thinking_ about you" I stopped. Oh. _Oh_.

"Then my answer remains" Her head snapped to me and I smiled awkwardly. I hadn't expected this conversation. Evidently my subconscious was very much set in thinking that she would simply grab me and make me lose my mind at the slightest of touches. An easy smile appears on her lips and her hands rose to capture my face which she drew forward painfully slowly.

"You're 17, right?" I could practically taste the mumbled words as I nodded my head quickly in affirmation after my slurred string of incoherent words were undecipherable even to me. In the next blink of an eye the only thing I could taste was the smoky flavor of her lips twisting against mine. My hands slipped their way to her hips as hers fell down from my face, wrapping around my waist and she gently laid me back upon the bed, drawing my body up the bed so that my legs no longer hung of the edge.

Her body pressed temptingly against mine and I finally gave into the carnal chant in my head that pleaded for me to remove the fabric obscuring her smooth, luscious skin from my wandering hands. Our lips parted for a moment as I tore her shirt from her skin and threw it haphazardly into the corner. She ridded me of mine in turn and grabbed my lips again. I felt a growl rip from my throat as she nipped and licked at my jaw, letting her nails trail along my feverish skin. Her hands stopped at the waist band of my trousers and I felt the full weight of her body fall against me as her forehead rested against my own. Her uneasy eyes had darkened with lust when they met mine in a questioning gaze.

"Are you sure?" Was the pant that came in between labored breaths and despite the heat building in my core, I felt my heart clench at the intense caring that sat untainted in her colored orbs. I allowed the corners of my mouth to upturn in a small smile as I caught her quivering hand and guided it lower.

"Yes" I uttered into the deafening silence and she descended once again.


	12. Saviors

Chapter Twelve – Saviors

"_To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering" – Friedrich Nietzsche_

* * *

I woke up warm. Warmer than I'd ever felt. Strong arms encompassed me with ease, drawing me into the fiery depths of Johanna Mason. I briefly wondered how I'd ever lived without the burning heat delicately coursing along my skin in torrents, though I never quite managed to come to a conclusion. I pressed my back further into the fire, wishing to never lose the buzzing feeling that ran along my nerve endings.

My body still felt weak from last night's events but a pulse ran through me at her smooth skin grazing airily against mine. I had spent countless hours wondering what it would be like to feel her bare body press into mine. The curious question had been playing in my mind from the moment my eyes had fallen upon her bare form flinging my brain into a complete frenzy.

I could have never imagined this. I could never have dreamed of the solace I found with her hands clutching onto me for dear life. I lazily drew patterns along her slender arm, watching the goose bumps trail after my finger as she attempted to pull me closer, as though there were any space left between our bodies. I felt a flutter in my stomach at how undeniably adorable she really was. Her snarky attitude was infamous, and yet here she was ducking her head into the crook of my neck, making content hums into my skin.

I laid there for longer than I probably should have, simply basking in the glory of being in her arms. She stirred after a while offering a light kiss to the crease in which my neck met my shoulder. I shuddered. A smile graced my lips. I unsuccessfully tried to push myself further into her before I twisted to be face to face.

"Morning Brainless" She smirked, but it lacked its usual panache with her hair looking adorably disheveled and yet somewhat hot, in a style that screamed sex. I let my fingers comb through the strands before tucking both my hands under my head and continuing to glance upon her form.

"Morning Temptress" I mimicked her smirk and she cocked an eyebrow before I boldly leant forward and captured her lips passionately. I forgot about the rest of the world around us as I lost myself to her clutches once again. I couldn't get my heart to steady itself as her hands snuck towards me under the covers and wandered confidently across my skin. I whimpered pathetically when she nipped at my bottom lip but I didn't dwell on the weak sound. The only thing that ran through my mind was Johanna as the door slammed open.

Haymitch strutted in carelessly before it occurred to him just what he had walked in on. I hid my face beneath the covers – horrified. Johanna laughed joyously at the predicament, as well as the sound of Haymitch's unsure stutters, though they didn't last long before he composed himself.

"I can't say I didn't expect this, but I definitely didn't expect to see it" I could practically feel his grin burning into me despite being in my hiding place under the sheets. Johanna didn't seem to want me to have the opportunity to gather myself because she readily pulled the covers from me. I found myself staring right at his smirk, as he stood near the doorway with an air of misplaced superiority.

"In any case" He continued. "Time to play the game" I stared at the ceiling awkwardly but Jo stared forward defiantly. Typical.

"Can we put some clothes on first or are you curious as to what Katniss looks like naked? If so, I'm telling you now - it's the eighth wonder of the world" I lightly slapped her chest but it lacked any real conviction and she must have known this because she simply sent a grin my way and clutched onto my hand that lay hidden from the eyes of the man in the room. She squeezed my hand briskly and I felt my heart squeeze right along with it.

"Clothes would be good" He stated sharply before clearing his throat and backing out of the room with one final knowing glance.

"Really?" I questioned Johanna simply but she didn't reply she simply shrugged and nonchalantly climbed out of the bed. I watched her sylphlike body slink around the room with easy confidence and she smiled over her shoulder as she caught me during my vigorous inspection of her. I sent one back her way but didn't stop my eyes from roaming. I wanted to map each and every single inch of her body out, to know every blemish like I would one of my own.

"Like what you see?" She purred.

"Obviously" She rolled her eyes at my cheeky grin. I stepped out from the warmth, shivers racking through my body as the cold crashed into me. I ignored the temperature change as I walked over to her and kissed her feverishly before stepping out of her clutches and going over to the wardrobe. I could feel her eyes burning into my back. I turned and caught her leering lustfully.

"Like what you see?" I copied.

"Obviously" She mimicked. My smile stretched across my face as I graced my nude body with clothes for the first time in hours.

* * *

The day began uneventful for the tributes though, like always, it was only the calm before the storm, and soon in the spirit of the Games everything began to crumble; brick by brick the walls fell apart until the foundation lost its standing and the house fell apart in a flash.

Griffin troubles came first. He had woken up in the company of the two District 8 tributes, the small black haired girl - Sariah – had been the last to take watch when they decided to move, in an attempt to stay hidden. Their incognito moves didn't help much however since they quickly bumped into other tributes. Thankfully, it was two District 4 tributes who flashed their mockingjay badges and sultry grins that echoed that of Finnick.

They had roamed around in fairly good spirits despite the circumstances, each of them taking turns to talk of home, making crude jokes that had them erupting in smiles and barely concealed giggles. I wondered how last year we had all been at each other's throats so easily. I suppose everyone simply fought to survive until we gave them another option – freedom.

Everything collapsed at 4 O'clock. There was a fearful look on Haymitch's face as they entered a new segment of the arena. Surely he knew something that I didn't. It became clear to me that something bad was coming when the smiles dropped from each of their faces. Each and every mouth dropped into a frown, their eyes darting this way and that in a fit of panic. Screams. That's what I heard. A chorus of screams. Multiple voices, each playing at a different pitch screeching into the open air viciously. Sariah fell into a sprint first. She clawed her way through the foliage with abandon. Her screams joined in the symphony of pain as she collapsed uselessly, crying out for someone I'd never heard of before. Tears ran steadily down her face, her eyes portraying nothing but a fractured heart.

Griffin was struck next. That's when I realized what they were – jabberjays. He stumbled about, his head twisting from one direction to another as though he didn't quite know where to turn, as though he didn't know who to run to first. He turned left and slashed his way through the intricate lattice of vines.

"Elliyua!" He shouted and I turned curiously to the blonde girl who stood in the doorway, looking stricken. Trainers weren't supposed to be in here but nobody questioned her presence, though I don't suppose anyone noticed she was there until a small, broken sob fell from her lips. I turned my eyes back to the screen and watched Griffin claw helplessly at his ears, pleading for it to go away, begging for it to stop, for the voices to disappear. He called his mum's name next and one look into his fear filled, child-like eyes caused a sick feeling to burst into my stomach.

It lasted for an hour. They cried till they had no tears left. They screamed until their voices came out as nothing more than a hoarse whisper. They clutched at their ears until nails pierced skin and their blood trickled down their cheeks. I didn't realise that I'd been crying too until Peeta wiped a stray tear with his own sullen smile. The corners of my mouth upturned as I looked upon him gratefully. I caught Johanna's worried gaze from across the room. I nodded that I was alright and she turned back partially, though I could see she was still watching me carefully from the corner of her eye.

Each of them pretended like nothing had happened once the hour had passed, though they stormed onto the beach rapidly and each released a breath I don't think they had even realized they were holding.

* * *

Sophira's problems came next, though hers didn't come in the form of the arena. I finally caught a glimpse of her on the screens, though she didn't seem to have found any allies like Griffin had. Instead she was tentatively walking through the woods, hiding in the shadows. She watched cautiously, whipping her head towards even the smallest of noises, her knives poised and ready to fly. Well, at least I thought they were ready to fly.

A rustling of the bushes beside her caught her attention and she raised her knife, but when the sinister looking boy from District 1 climbed out with a malicious grin on his frightening, blood coated teeth, she froze. I don't know why he wasn't with the rest of the Careers in a pack, maybe they had already turned on one another, that would have explained the death that had already occurred in the early hours. Frankly, I didn't care. I silently pleaded for her to throw it but she just stared at him shakily. He had pounced on her by the time I had opened my eyes from a blink. Her own knife pressed into her neck, cutting into her flesh just above his other hand that crushed her neck against the bark of an enormous tree. She scratched at his wrists desperately. She gulped down all the air he allowed her to have but it lessened with each passing second. My head almost came disconnected from my shoulders as I turned it to Haymitch.

"Do something!" I called helplessly. "She can't die. She told him she'd live! She has to live for him." Hysterical cries ripped from my chest as I watched her choke. Tears rushed down my cheeks as I watched her breathing get shallower. My voice broke at the agony written plainly on her face. "Please" I sobbed. "Please do something" The words cracked. I felt familiar strong arms wrap around me. I turned my head only to come face to face once again with Johanna, only I didn't like the way I felt within these circumstances. "Do something" I whispered and I felt soft lips crush themselves to my temple.

"We can't. We just have to hope" _Hope_. I almost scoffed. What a ridiculous concept.

"No. No Sophira" My face was securely tucked into Johanna's neck when I heard the cracking sound. I flinched, thinking the worst until I glanced at the screen. I watched a thin whip slice through the air expertly. It wrapped itself easily around the boy's neck. His eyes bulged as he clawed at the rope to no avail. I followed the cord to where Dimba stood. She tugged upon the whip until his back crushed against her front. I heard the brief mumbles of a prayer before a small knife was stabbed into his skull. His eyes rolled back as she dropped his body haphazardly onto the floor. She shakily threw the knife next to his corpse, as she examined the blood on her hand, looking disgusted and ashamed of the crimson liquid. Quickly she dragged Sophira's body into her arms, telling her to open her eyes. It took a while and I watched with bated breath as Jo whispered calming reassurances into my ear. I heard coughs and splutters as her chocolate eyes fluttered open.

"I didn't need your help. I was fine" She muttered with a tiny smile and Dimba scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh so you like being choked? Is that like a kink? If so, that's a dangerous fetish" Sophira chuckled despite herself, as she clutched onto Dimba's hand, grasping it tightly and sending a grateful smile her way. In return the girl ran her fingers delicately along the reddened marks upon her neck, examining the damage. Sophira watched her curiously before attempting to stand. Dimba stepped behind her quickly, readying herself to catch the blonde girl but she managed to stand upon shaky legs and she turned back to the ebony girl.

"Come on, we need to find Griffin" Was all she said as she once again stepped into the woods, Dimba shook her head exasperatedly at the girl's antics before quickly following.


	13. Playing With Fire

Once again thank you for the reviews and the follows/favorites. I apologise for any mistakes made. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen – Playing With Fire

"_Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell.__" – Joan Crawford_

* * *

My heart hadn't stopped pounding. _It was over_ I told myself and yet it still hammered harshly against my rib cage. My breaths were shaky as they trembled from my throat. I could feel myself shivering as the images continued to tear through my mind. His hands tightening impossibly. His eyes glazing over in delight at the sensation of her struggling at his fingertips. Her choking breaths sputtering from her hoarse throat.

Johanna only held me tighter. My face hid in the crook of her neck, as she rested her chin upon my head and ran her fingers reassuringly through my unruly tresses. I felt safe in her arms. Even the faint smell of the forest that trickled off of her warmed my heart, crashing through the images with fierce intent. I felt a whisper of a kiss press onto my scalp before she drew back far enough to look into my eyes. I let a sob out at the sight of understanding and something shockingly akin to love as she watched me tenderly.

"Are you alright?" She questioned softly and I finally took a chance to survey the room. Everyone watched the screens, as though Johanna and I weren't tangled up in each other on the floor, though I could see a few curious glances thrown our way here and there. I turned back to her with a weak smile playing at my lips.

"I will be, we should probably…" I trailed off, gesturing for us to stand and she smirked at the faint spatter of a blush on my skin.

"Really Brainless? We had sex last night, multiple times, and you're nervous about an embrace?" I recognized that she was trying to diffuse the tension but the sound of her sultry chuckle caused me to lightly smack her chest for the second time that day, though this one had more conviction.

"Shut up or we won't _embrace _ever again" She eyed me skeptically, tilting her head in a calculating manner.

"You wouldn't dare" She challenged.

"Try me" I replied with an easy shrug. Her eyes narrowed as she sized up her options.

"I'm gonna call you're bluff because the sounds you were making last night and this morning are still screaming through my mind" My blush deepened obviously if the heat within my cheeks was anything to go by but I managed to untangled our limbs and stand up defiantly.

I walked away with a simple, "your call", thrown over my shoulder. I vaguely heard an incredulous mutter of 'seriously' thrown at my back. However, when I looked back over all I saw was a blatantly disheartened Johanna whose face went from slightly sad to sexily mischievous in a matter of seconds. This was definitely going to be a challenge.

* * *

I returned all of my attention to the screen then, quickly scanning for Sophira to see if she had managed to find Griffin yet. I found her in an instant though it became quickly apparent that she hadn't found the younger boy, though she seemed content enough in the company of her savior. They walked in amicable silence, occasionally sharing conversations about idle things, well, that was until Dimba decided she'd had enough of talking about kinds of flowers over the decidedly more important – or simply salacious - things.

"What's Quill like?" Sophira's steps faltered almost inconspicuously, though Dimba apparently saw the halt in movement because she readied herself for the girl to fall evidently mistaking it for a side effect of the strangling that had only happened minutes prior. The blonde girl stared sharply at the floor, before sighing and shifting her eyes to the girl beside her.

"Why?" She asked quietly.

"It's just you were strangled like ten minutes ago and you're walking around like it never happened because you're worried about some fifteen year old boy you've known for what? Two weeks?" Sophira nodded and Dimba continued to speak. "In my books that means you're a pretty great person. I guess I just wondered what someone would have to be like to get someone good to fall in love with them" The confession seemed to shock Sophira because she stopped completely before turning to Dimba with a curious glint in her eye. She let a small smile go before turning back to walking with the other girl on her heel.

"He's sweet which makes no sense because he's got the look of a man that deserves to be arrogant and self assured because he's got these eyes that instill confidence in woman and men alike. He's strong and not just in the physical sense. He's like Atlas, holding the weight of the world with iron resilience and yet he has this undeniable vulnerability. He's not afraid of tears. He's not afraid to show the world the cracks in his armor and it's a beautiful thing to witness. Most of all I suppose he just balances me out. Plus he's hot" They both chuckled at the end but Sophira sobered up the fastest and twisted her head to the girl who had fallen into step beside her.

"If you're wondering whether anyone good would fall in love with you I'd say it's a definite impossibility, though love is weird. There's always a chance that someone good will fall in love with you but there's the same chance that you won't fall in love with them, or the chance that you'll simply fall in love with someone who's bad." I felt eyes burning into my back and I was met with the brown eyes of Johanna who seemed to be struck by the words of wisdom that had come from the young girl.

They only walked a little further when they heard mumbled voices swirling at different tempos towards them. Dimba's whip was poised and ready, which gave me much more confidence than the knife that lay in Sophira's palm. Both dropped their weapons quickly at the sight of the goofy grin that could have only belonged to Griffin. The boy in question almost tore his face in half as the smile grew at the sight of his blonde accomplice. He startled her by pulling her into a hug and gripping her tightly as he pulled her from the floor. An uncharacteristic giggle tumbled from her mouth as he spun her around. He dropped her unsteadily and she swerved slightly at the force he had exerted, that was the moment he noticed the marks around her neck. His gargantuan hands were rapidly thrust towards the area as he stared at the bruising. The reddened marks had quickly turned purple, displaying the clear shape of a hand wrapped around her throat.

"What happened? Who did this?" His questions were directed at Dimba who opened her mouth to reply before she was interrupted.

"It's nothing" Dimba scoffed.

"It was that brute from District 1. He tried to see how long she could hold her breath" Griffin looked pained and his groups of tributes, cautiously stared at the girl in question. Sariah, the small black haired girl stepped forward.

"I'm sorry but how on earth are you still breathing? That kid was huge; he'd have snapped your neck without so much as blinking" Dimba looked down nervously.

"I had help" All eyes turned to the nervous looking girl at her side who simply shrugged at the attention. Apparently the action was enough for everyone to drop it. "How many tributes did you recruit Griffin?" She laughed and he grinned boyishly.

"Only four. This is Sariah and Horne from District 8" The two tributes waved awkwardly at the introduction. "And this is Vale and Aruana from-"He was interrupted by the chocolate skinned girl.

"Let me guess – Four?" The girl from Four stepped forward with a smile. Her hand was outstretched towards Dimba who eyes it cautiously. I couldn't say that I blamed her. The girl was obviously trouble. Her grin came easy and it was the kind of bearing of teeth that had you mesmerized and willing to do things you'd never even consider before you even realized you were doing them. As if that wouldn't have caused enough problems it was connected to a face that would make people melt had she even acknowledged them.

Her flawless skin shone like the sky as the sun set over the sea. Her eyes were an illuminating shade of green that reminded me of the clear seas at the same moment that they seemed to shine like an emerald. She seemed to be the embodiment of District Four, the water radiated from each of her features. Though strangely she didn't have the same usual sandy blonde hair that the male tribute had, much like Finnick, no her hair was vibrant shade of red and it sat upon her head in a messy bun, exposing the slightly pointed ears that would have usually been hidden beneath her fiery locks. Had an Elven race really existed she is exactly as I would have imagined they be, with the sharp contours of her face and the mischievous smirk that played on her lips.

Dimba seemed to have decided it was safe enough to take the girls hand for she reached forward and cupped the outstretched appendage before firmly shaking it twice. She seemed to attempt to extract it but Aruana only held tighter at that point, running her fingers along the darker girls skin, watching as she gulped with her bottom lip trembling. It was silent for a second before Vale stepped beside his female counterpart.

"Down Aruana, you don't want to break the girl" She laughed musically but still didn't loosen her grip.

"Oh relax Vale she's completely fine, aren't ya Eleven?" Dimba swallowed harshly.

"Completely" She stated.

"For now anyhow" The red haired girl continued as though she hadn't been interrupted. "When I'm done with ya you're not gonna know your name. Which, coincidentally, I didn't catch" She tilted her head questioningly and Dimba finally looked straight into her gaze.

"Dimba" Was her mumble.

"Suits you. Pretty name for a pretty face. You know Dimba actually means beautiful soul" Dimba raised her eyebrows incredulously.

"No it doesn't" She said daringly.

"No you're right, it doesn't. Worth a shot though right?" Dimba laughed and finally extracted her hand from the vice like grip the other girl had on it.

"Sure, but you're going to have to try a lot harder than that" She smirked and then mockingly added, "Four"

"As you wish" Was the green eyed girls reply as she spun back to the group. "Well now that we are all acquainted, what do we do?"

"Sleep?" Griffin offered hopefully and Sophira chuckled at his antics before asking,

"What _is_ the time?"

"How are we supposed to-"Griffin was cut off by Sariah who quickly interjected his question.

"Between ten and eleven" The group turned to her except Horne who just seemed to nod along with her statement.

"How on earth do you know the time? Are you incredibly skilled at telling it from the sun or do you know something we don't?" The girl sighed.

"It's a clock, the arena I mean. You must have noticed it is split into twelve segments for each number on a clock. A giant wave splashes at ten and I heard that maybe thirty minutes ago. And to the first question about sleep, no, we need to find the tributes from District 3." Horne nodded alongside her but Vale eyed her skeptically.

"Why do we need to find them?" He asked.

"They're on our side and they are the only ones who have the ability to get us out. And well, I don't know about you but I'd prefer to find them before they're dead" She stated plainly.

"I suppose that's a no to the sleep then?" She glared at him with a small smile on her face as strained not to laugh.

"I told them to meet us at the cornucopia at midnight" She replied.

"Let's go then" The pushed through the forest, preparing themselves for the idea of escape.

* * *

I turned towards Haymitch fearfully.

"Can't they hear all of this? They're not exactly being discreet" He smirked at me.

"This isn't the same feed that dear old Snow watches; we managed to get a few secret cameras of our own. Don't worry, they haven't blown their cover. Yet" I felt a yawn escape my lips and I turned my head to chance a look at the clock, Sariah had been right it was quarter to eleven now. I was instantly more alert as Haymitch eyed me with a smirk. I braced myself for the inevitable onslaught of snide remarks, he had managed to contain himself all day and it had obviously been very hard for him if the look in his eyes was any indication.

"What?" I challenged.

"Late night?" He questioned with cocked eyebrows and I shook my head with a sigh.

"I think we both know the answer to that one" I stated plainly.

"Perhaps but I think confirmation would be nice" I caught the little glint that twinkled in his eye with mirth. He was enjoying this way too much.

"Fine, it was a very late night, so very late" He turned his full attention to me.

"And why is that Katniss? Restless? Nightmares?" He put on a face of mock concern and I felt my eyes narrow at how coarse he was being. However, in a moment of daring I accessed my inner Johanna Mason and mimicked her perfect smirk in my own fashion before taking a breath.

"Both I suppose or at least something similar. I mean, I _was_ fitful and I _was_ calling out for _mercy_ on multiple occasions" I walked away slow enough that I managed to see his jaw drop to the floor and yet it was fast enough that I didn't manage to hear his reply, and by hear I mean I didn't have to deal with the embarrassment would inexorably follow.

* * *

I'd been sitting on floor thirteen for around twenty minutes before I gained company. I had gone there for two reasons, the first being I needed somewhere to hide my face from Haymitch that didn't seem so childish, the second being that I could still watch the arena from the screens in the room. In hindsight, I should have watched it from here in the first place. It was much calmer, though while watching the Games the strained silence wasn't always such a refuge as it was eerie.

The ding of the elevator was what brought me out of my Games induced daydream and my eyes quickly fell upon Johanna Mason. I had expected to see her signature smirk or at least something along those lines as she attempted to make me go back on my word but the look in her eye was one of melancholy and she glanced at me with a pensive look. I didn't get a chance to ask her what was wrong before she vomited out her sentence in a slur of only just coherent words.

"Do you love me?" I blinked. Then again. I thought about it for a second. Did I love Johanna? Was she the first thing I thought about in the morning and the last before I went to bed? Yes. I thought about what love really was. Loving someone isn't just being enamored by their smile or enraptured by the fact that you manage to find solace simply from the way words spill from their lips. No. Loving someone comes from seeing the true light within them, when all anyone else sees is the inevitable darkness.

"Yes" She blinked. Then again.

"Why?" She stepped forward a few tentative steps and I stood from the sofa I had been lounging on. I had the feeling the casual sprawling of my body against the cushions wasn't appropriate during this conversation.

"Why do I love you?" She nodded.

"Why? What Sophira said made me think Katniss. You're a good person and I'm not. I've killed people Katniss" She sounded so broken and I cautiously took a single step forward. She didn't move.

"I've killed people too Johanna" I murmured softly and she looked up, her eyes straining with tears.

"Not like I did. You killed to avenge a little girl Katniss. You killed to protect yourself. You killed to save an abhorrent human being from being torn apart by mutts. You're a good person." A stray tear dripped down her cheek and I took another small step forward.

"You did what you had to do to survive Jo" She shook her head with vehement.

"I was cruel and manipulative" She mumbled, her words thick with tears and faint disgust at what I assumed were her actions.

"The fact that you admit that means you feel sorry for it. That tells me that you're a good person too because you feel terrible about murdering those people. You want to know why I love you?" She nodded, her face lingered in the realms of vulnerability. I'd never seen her look more childlike than in the moment and it broke my heart to watch her cry. I took another step forward. Not long to go.

"I love your smile because one second it's a window into your childhood, back when you smiled with ease and then the next it's this undeniably sexy smirk that makes my knees weak and my blood run hot. I love your eyes because no matter how hard you try to act like you don't care they tell me everything I need to know, and I love that you can't keep a secret from me because those eyes give everything away. I love what you're like when no one is around. I love that you're strong and passionate, and yet so tender like you're afraid I'm going to break if you grasp me too hard but you still grip me impossibly tight because you're just as afraid I'll be gone when you open your eyes. I love that you always smell like pine needles, no matter how long you're away from the forest, because I can't imagine anything that smells more like home. I love your warmth. I love that when you hold me in your arms because it's like a fire rages through my veins, setting my mind alight with you. I love that I want you and I need you because I love you. There is a million other things, including how hot you look naked – that might actually be my favourite" I grinned and she chuckled with a sniffle. I took my final step toward her, catching her face between my hands as I looked upon her with the exact same look she had.

"Do you love me too?" I questioned fearfully and she drew my body closer. I felt a gentle pull at my hips as our bodies molded together perfectly. I'd always thought it was a cliché to say that we fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, until this point when I realized it was only a cliché because that's exactly what it did feel like. I'd wandered through life with an incomplete picture, wondering if I'd ever quite finish it, until she appeared and filled the missing gaps. Everything made sense because the picture was finally clearer than ever. I could hear the thump of my heart as I waited for her to answer. The way she ran her thumb along the contours of my face told me I already had the answer and yet I still stood fearfully with bated breath as she took her time.

"Of course I do Brainless"

"Say it" I uttered into the air and she rested her forehead against mine. I tasted her next words as much as I heard them and never in all my life had anything tasted so utterly perfect.

"I love you"


	14. Plans

Honestly not much occurs in this chapter, it mostly leads up to the next but I felt I should update and so I split it into two parts, this one is filled with Joniss. Also, I know this is rated M but at the beginning I said mostly for violence and language so I was hesitant to put smut in, but if you want it I might do a separate piece with the missing smut. In any case, hope you enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen – Plans

"_The artist must create a spark before he can make a fire and before art is born, the artist must be ready to be consumed by the fire of his own creation." – Auguste Rodin_

* * *

Plan - detailed proposal for doing something or achieving something. From the definition I'm not sure we could really call what we had conjured, a plan. We had pieces of a scheme compiled and yet I was still confused how it was all somehow supposed to come together. Something told me that information had been purposely omitted from my knowledge, which made me think that it was dangerous or I wasn't going to be a fan of it. Essentially, it was a 'plan' in which everything could either go wrong or it could go right and there would be a thin line in between if, in fact, there were actually a line at all.

In any event, I needed to know more about this so called 'escape plan'. I slipped out of the bed with obvious silence despite how hard I had tried to exit unnoticed. Thankfully, Johanna seemed to be too tired to do anything other than roll into the space I had recently vacated in favor of curling up in the warmth I had created. Not so thankfully, the sheet pulled down during her movement and her bare back was on display, showcasing the network of scratches and bites that littered her once flawless skin. I found myself distracted for a moment, almost forgetting the exact reason I had ripped myself away from her in the first place. After collecting my thoughts and my clothes I managed to slip from the room.

In my haste to clear my thoughts of Johanna I had overlooked the fact that we hadn't gone to my floor that night. Stepping out onto floor seven seemed normal at first, the rooms had been decorated much the same, except different people lived on her floor. People who didn't know the truth about Peeta and me. People who gave me incredulous looks as I stepped out into the hall. _Did they know what happened? Did they hear it? Oh God what if they'd heard it? How would I cover this up? What could possibly say to get myself out of this one?_ Despite my usual string of bad luck the second mentor from District 7 appeared. I stared at him for a moment, it only occurred to me in that moment that I had no idea what his name was, evidently I had been far too enraptured in the other mentor from seven to even pay attention to her male counterpart.

"Katniss, what are you doing here?" He looked genuinely curious with his brow furrowed and I felt a whoosh of air burst from my lungs. They didn't know.

"I just came to drop something off to Johanna but she's sleeping and in her usual naked state so I thought I would do it later" He watched me suspiciously but I stared him down. I'd stared down men much stronger than him. His glare faltered easily and I almost let myself smile at it but I pushed it down.

"I didn't see you come through this morning" He continued his assault.

"I did win the Games, I must have some skills in sneaking" He didn't look too convinced by my answer but he nodded his head and stepped out of the way. The look on his face told me he had seen the way she had clutched my body to hers as I shook with sobs but also that he couldn't imagine anything happening between me and the serial flasher. I didn't blame him. He had spent time with Johanna but it was obvious that around him she didn't let her façade drop and so he looked upon her the way she wanted him to – like she didn't give a care in the world, a fact that I knew to be a lie. I gave him a curt nod as I made my way quickly to the elevator, I wouldn't let that deter me from going to Haymitch. There had to be a plan to break out and I wanted to know what it was.

* * *

I found him in much the way you would always find him – face down in his own dribble surrounded by empty bottles. Much like he always did he jumped at my shake of his arm and I was more prepared for the knife that came swishing in my direction, avoiding the slash to my stomach easily as I watched him watch his surroundings and figure out just where he was. He looked almost angry as he stared at me, his face still dripping in a disgusting concoction of saliva and liquor. My staring must have been apparent for he wiped his face furiously before slumping back into his chair and drinking the dregs from a nearby bottle.

"I need to know the plan" I didn't give him time to make a snide remark about my techniques of waking people up and he sighed at my quick ascension to the issue.

"Meet me at thirteen in ten minutes and go collect your girlfriend without drawing too much attention to the fact that you've already been there this morning" I stared at him opened mouthed, making my internal thoughts external with a shocked tone.

"How did you know-"He didn't let me stumble my way through to finish the sentence and I was almost grateful for that. Almost.

"Your shirt is on backwards and your neck has more marks than half of the tributes in the Games" I blushed at the observation before expertly spinning my shirt. I half mumbled that I'd go find her as I avoided his smug gaze. I should have thrown water on him again, ice cold. Or maybe I could have just poked him with an arrow.

* * *

Walking back through for seven was far harder than it had even been to leave. The looks I received were considerably worse but I pushed myself forward proudly (nervously) until I could quickly throw myself back into her room. I rested my back against the door, clamping my eyes shut exasperatedly. Of course Haymitch couldn't have just sent someone to get her, or sent a message or God forbid he actually go get her himself. All anger vanished when I opened my eyes and found her still lounging on the bed. She clutched the pillow beneath her head like it were her favourite teddy bear and she wouldn't allow anyone to get within even a foot of it. Despite the fervor in which she clutched the item she had a blissful smile lightly placed upon her face.

I tenderly sat on the bed beside her form as I gently raked my fingers along the bare skin of her back that was still on show as the sheets pooled at her hips. She merely hummed contently as pimples followed the warmth of my hand like sheep to a Sheppard. Her sweet smile turned into a smirk however when I daringly dropped my hand lower, letting my fingers scrape along the bare curve of her breast. The movement of lips didn't go unnoticed and yet she refused to open her eyes just yet. I rolled my eyes even though she was unable to see the gesture.

My fingers were soon replaced by hot open mouthed kisses to her cool flesh as I tried to coerce her into opened her eyes. They popped open with an accompanying gasp when I hit the particular spot where her shoulder and her neck met. A spot that I realized would elicit a gasp no matter how many times you touched it and no matter what you touched it with. It was quite honestly the most sensual sound I had ever heard and I felt myself losing sight of the reason I had entered her room as she twisted till she was face up on the bed without pulling the sheets to cover herself modestly.

It took everything I had not to let my eyes wander down; instead I stared into the mocha orbs and placed a chaste kiss to her mouth in greeting. Her fingers weaved into my locks as she pulled me down for longer than I had anticipated. My lungs burned by the time oxygen finally reached them again and I felt my mind waver at the intensity at which her lips probed mine. It had been the same last night. As soon as she had echoed my words I slammed my body into hers dangerously, and kissed her until I couldn't remember my own name. It was safe to say that with her skillful and wandering hands that we hadn't even made it to the elevator before I was screaming her name. It was in the moment that the elevator was 'accidentally' stalled that I slammed her against the glass wall and thrust and thrust until all she could do was whimper from her hoarse throat. Apparently that hadn't been enough because I found myself awake for most of the night forgetting everything that wasn't Johanna Mason.

She smiled with closed eyes and I took the opportunity to tenderly brush her hair from her eyes to pin it behind her ear, causing her eyes to finally flutter open and take me in.

"Morning" She half mumbled.

"Morning" I echoed and she smiled as I continued. "As lovely as this is I'm here to get you because Haymitch wants to talk to us" She groaned, albeit less animalistic than last night.

"Can't you and I just _talk_" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively and I chuckled as I put some distance between us by grabbing her some clothes and throwing them unceremoniously at her.

"No and put clothes on this time or we'll never get there" She chuckled as she stood up and slipped on some trousers.

"Isn't that exactly what I want?" I rolled my eyes and she smirked as she continued getting changed. "You know" She began again. "I didn't say anything last night because I didn't want to ruin it for myself but we had sex, something you promised we wouldn't do for quite some time and it took you like what, an hour to cave?" She winked and I shook my head exasperatedly.

"It would have worked just fine if you hadn't stormed up to me acting all innocent and talking about love, only to sneak up on me like a sexual demon and break through my defenses" She slipped her shirt over her head and stepped into my space, pulling me closer as she slipped her hands round my waist.

"You're not exactly Fort Knox" She laughed heartily as I pinched her skin in retaliation.

"Are you suggesting that Peeta managed to 'get past my defenses'? Maybe Gale too, I'm sure he's real good a sneak attacks" I teased but her eyes went dark and she tugged my lips to hers passionately. I leaned into her stable body as she pulled away.

"Only me" She whispered.

"Okay" I stepped away from her intoxicating aura as I strolled to the door. "Time to see Haymitch"


	15. Break Out

In case I don't say it enough - sorry for any mistakes.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen – Break Out

"_The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion." – Albert Camus_

* * *

I watched the floors fly past the glass panes as I aimlessly stared out of the elevator. How no one had seen what me and Johanna had been up to the night before I would never know. It was in plain sight. In fact, I think it was actually at the center of everything and Lord knows we hadn't exactly been subtle. I said a little prayer at the realization that no one but me had seen her bare ass that day, or any of the other assets of which she had a multitude.

All thoughts of the night before flew out my mind as quickly as the floors passed as I caught her admiring gaze. Before I would have blushed at the attention. I would have stuttered, completely flustered, as I stared at the floor not feeling strong enough to meet her intense gaze in the bright, analytic lights of the enclosed box. Not now. Now I simply stared back, offering a small smile her way, coupled with a swift graze of my hand against her own as an offering which she greatly accepted with a cheeky smile that made my heart flutter unintentionally.

I don't know how I ended up this way so quickly. At first she was just that girl in the Games. She was the innocent one from seven, who wandered without purpose with unshed tears lingering in her eyes. I felt sympathy for that girl and her broken, melancholic persona. Then she was the girl who swung her axe with vicious intent that was somehow sexy as hell because suddenly she wasn't just this petite shell of a girl. She was a woman with a faltering smirk and subtle muscles that rippled like waves in the ocean on her back. The moment that everyone saw her as malicious and cruel, I saw her crumbling heart beneath the sultry façade.

After that she was nothing more than a distant memory. An incorruptible image hidden in the deepest depths of my mind until I saw her again. As soon as my eyes had fallen upon her the day of the chariots I knew my infatuation with Johanna Mason would never just be a quick glimpse every now and then to satisfy a mild urge. No. My infatuation would be unavoidable. It would be all consuming. It would be like being hit with a tonne of bricks and having the ability to do nothing but let their weight engulf you. That idea had been set in stone the moment she dropped her dress because, Jesus! How could anyone pretend that they didn't want to feel her body ripple and quake at their touch? But at that point it had seemed innocent enough. Not that my thoughts were as such but she was as unattainable as she was unforgettable, only then she wasn't. Because next came the unbreakable stares and the salacious smirks and the winks that made you forget everything but her.

But even then it felt like it was just a daydream created by an oxygen starved brain, or a mirage conjured with a delirious mind, because my heart was hammering like I were lingering on the brink of death, and my mind was running through every image it had even seen of her like it's life depended on it, because it wasn't just an idea anymore, it was a necessity.

I tried to forget her.

I tried to push her from my mind and then she did the unthinkable – she ran to me. She cornered me on a roof and suddenly I wasn't thinking, I was being bold or stubborn (both). And then it was me in her personal space and yet when my lips touched hers, I still felt like she had captured mine. I still felt like she had stolen my breath, when the reality was I had stolen her words with my tongue and forgotten my own the moment I had.

That's when it happened I suppose.

Trying to pinpoint it was hard. Trying to find the exact moment that she wasn't the innocent turned mysterious victor, but instead the woman who made your stomach twist and your brain melt. I don't think there was one single moment that changed it. It was everything. It was in every unguarded grin. It was in every residual burn of a caress. It was in every fervent catch of the eyes. Every little thing built right under my nose until she whispered her words hotly against every bare inch of my body and I slammed into the realization that I loved her. Apparently she did too because then she chanted those three words like a prayer against my lips and the taste was infatuating, addicting and I couldn't get enough.

So, that's where I was – standing in the very same elevator in which she first stole my breath, having her steal it again with nothing more than a smile because somehow she had turned me into a pile of mush.

Beeping doors burst me free from my reverie and we both adopted our masks as we stepped onto the floor. Haymitch seemed to have cleaned himself up fairly quickly. Perhaps he actually understood the severity of the situation. I was thankful for that. Peeta and Finnick stood in the corner. Peeta laughed as Finnick told a story with obscene hand gestures and silly faces. From the parts I witnessed I had no clue what he could possibly be on about and honestly, I didn't think I wanted to. The main difference I found within the room to usual was the addition of the two mentors from district 3, though their attendance seemed sensible seeing as technology was much more their forte than it was Haymitch's - a fact that was made apparent by him smacking the screen in an attempt to get it to flash alive.

"Finally!" Haymitch exclaimed. "I'd ask what you two were doing but I don't think I really want to know" I sighed at his cocked eyebrow. Couldn't he just leave it alone for once? I chanced a glance at Peeta to gauge his reaction and true to his word he didn't look disheartened he simply mimicked Haymitch's eyebrow and mouthed a joking, 'details?' in my direction. I rolled my eyes at his antics.

"Oh Haymitch we all know you'd love to hear all about what we were doing but now isn't the time. Now is the time for you to tell our girl here how we're breaking them out" Johanna's reply was instantaneous and I found myself grinning at the floor as Haymitch rolled his eyes at the girl. The relationship between the two of them baffled me. Both of them were usually so hard headed and hearted and yet there was rarely a moment between them without a joke. It occurred to me that they must have seen things together or shared something that made them come together, because no one else knew of their pain and they didn't want to share, they simply wanted to stand in the presence of someone who understood – albeit silently.

"Fine – the plan it is" He nodded towards the pair from district 3 who stepped up to the screen, quickly drawing up a map of the arena before the man turned and broke the tense silence.

"In theory it'll be easy which I suppose in this world means it'll be next to impossible." Johanna laughed cynically at his beginning and the man grinned. "We told our tributes exactly what to do and by the looks of the progress the bulk of the pack is making they'll find them soon enough."

"What exactly is it they need to do?" I asked.

"You remember the way to get out?" He replied. I almost laughed. How could I forget?

"Torture the other tributes for their codes" I stated simply.

"Exactly, except some are already dead and with no one knowing their code it becomes redundant, it simply disappears from the escape code" He looked at me expectantly.

"So what?" I questioned.

"Everyone has to _die_" I stared at his incredulously. That couldn't be it. I had to be missing something because that evidently wasn't the plan.

"Great plan!" Sarcasm dripped from my words and I watched the woman step forward.

"They don't really have to die. Every tribute has a chip in their arm. It tests their heart rate to see if their alive" She said.

"So they just remove it?" She turned to the screen bringing up a schematic of what I assumed was the device. It was small, much like the one I had endured during the Games, though even then removing it would have hurt but apparently that wasn't the plan for she then shook her head in relation to my question.

"Removing it triggers an alarm which is why they need our tributes. The devices were built in District 3 which is a bit of an oversight on their part and there's a fail safe. In the event of an electrical surge they shut down, rendering them useless but also with everyone 'dead' the arena unlocks itself since there is no code left to type in" I turned to Haymitch who simply nodded in confirmation.

"How exactly are they going to cause an electrical surge?" Was the next in my onslaught of questions. I didn't know much about the science of it all but I was sure as hell that they didn't all have magical powers that meant they could shoot sparks from their hands.

"The clock. You must have realized that every hour something different happens. It makes for good watching I suppose but also the perfect plan. At 12 there's a lightning storm. By itself it just an instrument of death, get hit by a bolt and you're dead in an instant, only it aims at the tree and so all we need is something that will channel the voltage and emit just enough to shut down the implants" I nodded along with her words.

"I'm assuming somehow we've gotten that exact thing in there?" Smiles broke out. Of course. Of course we had somehow gotten that kind of contraband in and of course they didn't tell me anything about it until this point.

"The Capitol aren't as smart as they think and they are ridiculously susceptible to ideas. Our tributes got the wire from the Cornucopia the moment the Games began. All they have to do is wrap it around the tree before the lightning strike and wait. The moment it hits, the electrical energy will boost the electrical pressure by millions of volts, automatically causing the wire to emit a pulse of energy that will shut down everyone's implant. After that-"Johanna cut her off.

"After that they have ten minutes to get the hell out before someone puts the grid back up and realizes they aren't dead because at that point… Well, at that point we're all fucked" I blinked. That seemed easy enough and yet, like he said, in this world something was bound to go wrong, something was bound to turn this simple plan into an impossible mission. It was only a matter of time.

"Then what?" I asked Haymitch. "What do we do when they're out? Where do we go because we evidently can't go back home and act like nothing has happened" He grinned knowingly and there was something hidden in the look that told me this was the moment he had been waiting for, for a long time and there was nothing that could make him conceal his excitement at the situation. How could he be so chipper in this situation? I wondered but only for a moment because his reply came next and the joy in his tone answered every question that nagged me.

"We go to 13 and we train, because as soon as they're free the real rebellion will begin, and it's going to be one hell of a battle."


	16. Preparations

Thanks again for reviewing and whatnot. Also, I apologize in advance for any mistakes made.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen – Preparations

"_Fear is excitement without breath." – Robert Heller_

* * *

To say I was anxious would be an understatement. A massively catastrophic understatement. Anxious would tell you I was nervous or ill at ease but it ran deeper than that. My blood stilled the frozen liquid refusing to course through my veins, to give my body life. My heart hammered. It pulsed and pulsed willing the crimson liquid to dance through my arteries but it stubbornly declined and I could feel myself giving in. I stared at the screen with abandon. I ignored every suggestion of sleep, no matter how many times they were thrown my way. I couldn't sleep, not now. I watched intensely, waiting for it to begin - if they could even find the tributes to begin with.

They seemed to have been walking for hours though in reality it probably hadn't actually been that long, but I could feel my head lolling and my eyes drooping, and God knows the soothing circles Johanna was drawing onto my skin were not helping me stay alert. The concerned look on her face told me that had been her plan all along with her dexterous hands – to get me to slip into slumber. I steeled my gaze but refused to move from her warmth since I was sure it was the only thing that was keeping me from tearing everyone's throat out.

I flung from my chair in an instant the moment they reached the two doe eyed tributes from 3, stumbling slightly in my haste but it didn't matter because they were one step closer. I apparently wasn't the only one excited to see the progress because Griffin, in all his childlike manner, lifted them into his arms and kissed them soundly on the cheeks, garnering awkward blushes from the two of them who stared at the floor following the greeting. Griffin looked like a kicked puppy as he grinned sheepishly with a mumbled apology to which Sophira simply laughed. Taking a more sensible approach she stepped forth with her hand outstretched.

"Sophira" She introduced herself and the misfit group that stood behind her quickly did the same, the charming 'enchanté' that came from the redheaded tribute from 4 made me roll my eyes along with Dimba. The scoff that the whip bearer emitted didn't go unnoticed by Aruana who spun round with a face splitting grin and a perfectly cocked eyebrow.

"You do care" The words hung in the air like an accusation, a statement if anything and yet Dimba once again scoffed at the girl, replying as though she had posed a question.

"Not at all. Flirt with whomever you like whether it be a scrawny little fourteen year old from three or big man Vale over here" Even I, in all my social cue stunted glory, could tell that the girl was clearly bothered. Her phrasing hadn't helped her in trying to dissuade the redhead that she cared and the tone only made things ten times worse. It was dripping with a blatant undertone that was caught between outrage and disgust.

"Don't worry ya pretty little head Di, I only got eyes for you" Her words were punctuated with a wink and I watched Dimba's mouth twitch as she forced down a ghost of a smile at the clear sincerity that lingered in the girls tone.

"Don't think too highly of yourself Four, I'm just trying to look out for the little one here" They both turned their heads to the smaller girl beside them who gave a maladroit finger waggle in way of a wave in acknowledgement of the regard to her presence. The clumsy act seemed to aid in the exact point Dimba was trying to prove as she turned back to the myth-like beauty. "See. We don't want to break her before she saves all our asses" The smirk returned.

"So you admit I have the ability to do so?" Eyes narrowed.

"If your victim is weak and naïve, sure" Dimba replied simply.

"Oh, I don't think you're weak" Was the easy answer but before the other girl could open her mouth to presumably release her contained irritation Vale stepped between the two with his hands held in a gesture of surrender.

"As cute as _all this_" He motioned between the two girls"is, you know, the quipping, banter, 'daily bants' or whatever the hell you want to call it. I'd prefer to not die today, so if you could finish up, maybe? It'd be very much appreciated" Dimba scowled but Aruana's face was one of pure delight as she tugged her bottom lip between her teeth in an attempt not to laugh.

"Great" He continued. "So, we found the power duo, where do we go next?" A canon shrug broke out until it reached the two, still clutching the wire like there life depended on it, which I suppose, it did.

"The tree, the giant one that gets struck by lightning every twelve hours and we have to get there before the lightning strike or we'll have to wait another day which I'm guessing isn't an exciting idea" Nods erupted amongst the group.

"How long do we have?" The scrawny boy looked up at the sky for a moment, searching for the sun betwixt the labyrinth of branches and trees.

"Three hours, maybe less" Griffin hopped to his feet from where he had slouched upon the floor with an easy grin on his face. It really was mesmerizing how he had managed to adopt such a persona. At the beginning he had hid behind his hair and stumbled out of the crowd and yet here he was pushing everyone else to smile with him. There was only one reason I could think of for the bearing of teeth. Hope.

"Awesome, let's go"

* * *

"Katniss. Katniss." _What?_

"Kat" _Who would call me Kat? _

"Sweetie?" _Huh? _

"Jesus Brainless, wake up!" I mumbled incoherently into my pillow at the interruption, except my pillow was squirming and it had a… heartbeat? I tugged my eyes open to see Johanna's face. She tried to glare at me but there was a certain fondness written plainly on her face that begged me to bury my head back against her chest.

I'm not sure when I had fallen asleep. All I know is I was now lying on the sofa on floor thirteen. Except well, Johanna was on the sofa and I was mostly just lying on top of her body. The length of my form was pressed against her own, sloped off to the side as our legs tangled like wires. The soothing sounds of her breathing made my body feel heavy and it made more sense how I had unintentionally slipped into sleep with her beside me. She still shifted beneath me but I wasn't in the mood for moving. A small press of lips to the base of her neck elicited the quiet gasp I was searching for as they made her shuffles dissipate. A moment later I felt a similar whisper of a kiss linger upon my head before calloused fingers raked through the locks soothingly.

"You'll need to wake up, it's almost go time and I'm going to need both my legs if there is running involved" I chuckled into her neck because she made no effort to move, instead she sunk further into the sofa and myself as she released a deep sigh. "Why couldn't you have shown up sooner? I'd have been content in this shit heap had you been by my side, and now we're all going to risk our lives and everything could be ripped from me all over again or worse, you'll live without me and end up marrying bread boy or that brooding home boy as consolation" The words were forced with a humor filled lilt but I heard the fear that struggled behind it. I pulled back from the embrace far enough to look into her eyes. She didn't even attempt to hide the pain; the agony was evident in the pools of tears that waited to throw themselves off of the ledge. Pressing a soft kiss to her jaw was all I could think to do in that moment to calm her shivering body. Her whole body wracked and I knew from the heat pulsating from her flesh that she wasn't cold.

"I won't leave you" She shook her head sadly.

"You don't know that" Another kiss to the press of her cheek.

"You won't get rid of me that easily" I kissed away the dewy droplet that trickled from her eye, running away from the rest of the pack.

"And what if I die? What then? We shouldn't have done this. All I can think about is all I'll lose, or how much I'm going to hurt you if you have to lose me" My lips found their way to the corner of her mouth as I whispered my next words against her lips.

"I won't let it happen. But in the event that it does, I promise not to marry 'bread boy or that brooding home boy', does that make you feel better?" I felt a weak smile tremble against my mouth as a chaste kiss crushed into them.

"A little" She sighed and I straightened up, pulling her with me into a seated position.

"I love you Jo and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe" The dam broke and I watched the deluge of tears stain her untainted easel. How could anyone see her as a monster? She was strong and fragile. She was powerful and gentle. She was forceful and feeble. She was human and yet she was so much more than any other human I had ever met.

"That's what I'm afraid of, that by some kind of cosmic joke; you'll die trying to be my salvation even though your death will ultimately be my destruction" I pulled her tighter into my chest, silently thanking anything and everything when she held back, her nails digging into my skin as she clutched as tight as she could.

"I'll try not to be a hero" She laughed humorlessly.

"It's not a choice Katniss and in any case we both know it's hopeless. You always end up being a hero" She freed herself from my embrace, her face clear of any signs that she had crumbled in my depths. She released the corner of her mouth which upturned gently before her shivering smile grazed my own.

"Time's up, Brainless" She stood.

"I love you" I said and she plastered on the fake smirk she had perfected over the years.

"And I love you" Was her sincere reply.

* * *

Twenty minutes later saw the mentors nervously standing in the main room, watching the room with bated breath as they anticipated the long awaited escape. I didn't think as I grasped hold of Johanna's hand in front of everyone. In this moment it didn't matter and it wouldn't matter from any moment on. I didn't have to fake it anymore. Snow was going to try and kill me regardless of whose hand I held, star crossed lovers be damned, at this point no one in this room was safe. No one, not even –

Wait.

"Haymitch, why is Effie here?!" I barked in hushed tones.

"What are you talking about Effie isn-"Johanna grasped his shoulder with her free hand and spun his body towards the Capitol woman who stood in the center of the room, standing out like a sore thumb in her bright colors and extravagant wig. She strutted over the moment he caught her eye and I watched as he shifted from his tiptoes to his heels in a volatile manner. Johanna's smirk made him catch in his ministrations and he looked about read to snap when the Effie finally reached her destination.

"I know what you're doing" Haymitch froze. "Did you think that I wouldn't catch on? I'm from the Capitol Haymitch, I'm not stupid" I almost laughed. I don't know what it was. It probably wasn't the moment to be laughing since we were either about to get screwed over or the plan would go ahead, both of which weren't all too appetizing ideas but I couldn't held the smile that erupted. It could have been due to the look on Haymitch face – he looked like a child that was about to be reprimanded by his favourite teacher. It also could have been the way Effie was standing as she attempted to assert her authority despite the difference in stature of the two bodies.

"Effie-"She held up her hand instantly.

"Don't interrupt Haymitch Abernathy, it's utterly rude"

"Ironic" Johanna muttered from beside me and I couldn't help the muffled giggle that tumbled from my mouth. I cursed my inability to hide my laughter as her head whipped around to the two of us.

"Don't you two start" My mouth clamped shut in a flash and I felt like a scolded child. Thankfully, she turned her attention back to Haymitch quickly. "Were you even planning on saying goodbye?" Her voice trembled and I watched her eyebrows draw together. Broken. She looked broken.

"You weren't supposed to know. They can hurt you if you know" I didn't want to intrude on their moment but I didn't have the guts to flinch in front of Effie.

"And you didn't stop to think that disappearing would hurt?" I surveyed the room clumsily, trying to rest my eyes on anything but the two in front of me. However Jo seemed to have no qualms with enjoying the show on display. I watched as she stared at them intently, waiting to see what would happen next. "Did yesterday mean nothing to you?" My eyes snapped back to the pair in a blink and I watched Haymitch stutter as he was painted a vibrant shade of red. He eyed us nervously before returning his full attention to the woman in front of him. The axe wielding woman looked like she had won the war already at the news and I could practically feel the smirk resonating from her body. He would never live this down. Ever.

"Everything. It meant everything" I don't think I'd ever seen the man look so humbled. There wasn't a lingering stench of alcohol on his breath. There wasn't an irate scowl indented upon his features. He looked sad. He looked broken, though it was a difference kind of broken to usual, it was the kind of broken that came from having just been fixed. Effie's façade crumbled in an instant and she busied herself with perfected the buttoning on the man's shirt before she brushed off a piece of imaginary lint in an attempt to stay a moment longer.

"Well then, until we meet again Mr. Abernathy" Her words were prim and proper as always but she threw all cordiality out of the window the moment she leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to his surprised mouth. She walked away without a word and I wondered if I'd ever see her again. Honestly, a year ago I wouldn't have cared and yet I'd grown fond of the woman and her ways, much like I suppose she had become fond of us, no matter that we were a group of misfits. I just hoped she would be safe, regardless of if she ever came into my sight again.

"Everything. It meant everything" A wistful mimic came from beside me and I had imagined I would find Johanna smirking to her heart's content and I prepared myself to dig my elbow into her ribs, only when I turned I realized why the accent had been so perfect – the words had come from Peeta who accepted the high five Johanna sent his way.

"I expected more from you" Were Haymitch's words as he made his hasty escape. All I could do was laugh. The tributes had finally made their way to the tree by the time the theatrical display was over. Time was running short.

* * *

"So what do we do?"Questioned Sophira as they stared up at the tree. It towered over everything; the entirety of the forest seemed short in comparison to the brute of a tree. The girl from District 3 lifted the wire as she explained.

"The lightning will strike in about an hour. All we have to do is wrap all of this around the tree and get at least fifty feet away or the implant won't be the only thing that will short circuit" It seemed easy enough, though you could see the panic on individual faces. It could all go wrong and in such as place like the arena, was it even possible that it could all go right?

"It'll work?" Dimba seemed to be the voice of the doubts on everyone's mind.

"In theory"

"Super" The sarcastic reply came from Sariah who walked up and grabbed the wire, stepping up to the tree as she began to twist it around the gigantic trunk. "You guys going to help or…." Sophira stepped up and grabbed the coil before she halted in her movements.

"Wait, if the power grid does down what happens to the others? Not everyone is on our side, right? Won't they escape?" _Shit._

Who's left?" Asked Griffin from the middle of the crowd, only his question wasn't answered by Sophira.

"Us" The remaining Careers stepped from the bushes. Despite the lack of numbers in the pack, the three of them didn't look any less frightening. What the girl from District 2 lacked in height she made up for in menace. The spear in her hand was painted with crimson colors but she looked down at the weapon with pride. It made me feel sick to my stomach.

The male tribute from District 2 stood beside her with an axe gripped tightly in his grasp. Although he didn't look as eager as the girl beside him, in fact, his eyes darted around the group as though he were trying to decide why on earth he was doing this. It didn't fit his look. He was gargantuan. The kind of person you feared. The blood thirst that once lingered in his gaze appeared to be quenched and I watch him with curiosity.

Strangely the scariest of them all was the female from 1 and not because she was stronger, or faster. Not because I knew anything of her skill or of her kills. No. She was the scariest because she held Aruana against her, holding an axe against her neck with ease as the redhead did everything in her power not to shift against the sharpened blade. I watched the subtle twitch of Dimba's hand as Sophira lifted her arm to push the girl back and behind her before she did something regrettable. The girl chuckled darkly, the blade vibrated and I watched her victim gulp against the cutting edge.

That seemed to be the breaking point of the dark skinned girl because she stormed to the front of the crowd, raising her whip. The laugh echoed again.

"What are you going to do, kill me? Did you develop a taste for it earlier when you plunged that knife into my friend's head?" I flinched as she dragged the tip of the axe along Aruana's neck, drawing a trickle of blood from the wound; she ran her free fingers along the crimson liquid letting it run down her forearm without a care. She opened her mouth again.

"Did you enjoy the feel of his blood dripping down your skin, slithering inch by inch, catching like honey in the crevices? Can you still feel it, burning into your skin hotter than anything you've ever felt? Not even the sun is as potent as guilt" She ran her tongue along the blood that flowed down her arm. I shivered. "I saw you pray for him, are you willing to risk your Lord's love? Twice in one day must be pretty unforgivable, even for Him. Is she worth it?" Her teeth grazed across the flawless skin of the green eyed girls and I felt sick to my stomach. She was sickening. This was worse than violence. Apparently she wasn't done.

"The look on your face tells me you think she is." A dark laugh ripped from her throat with vicious intent. "I guess God can't mean that much to you, since if _she _is worth it you're going against him anyway. I suppose he'll turn his back on you either way" There wasn't a second to think before a knife sunk into her head. I watched as Sophira's shaking hand dropped back to her side. Dimba took a second to stare at the girl before she whispered an almost silent prayer.

"God loves everyone. Even you" She turned from the body and gathered Aruana quickly into her arms before stepping back into the group as they all turned to the tributes from District 2. It took less than a second for the boy – Kennick – to drop his axe to the floor with a thud. The girl stared at him like he was crazy when he lifted his hands in a motion of surrender.

"I don't want to die" He said.

"Are you crazy?" She shouted at him, keeping her spear ready to attack.

"No, I'm finally seeing sense. I don't want to die in here, I just wanted to be free but we'll never be free unless we die or we rebel and I don't want to die Kiaena. Do you?" She sighed as she stabbed her spear into the floor.

"I don't want to die" She conceded and the pair turned to the group.

"Truce?" Kennick asked tentatively with his hand hanging in the open air. For a second I thought they would leave it there but Griffin forced his way out of the group and grabbed the extended limb.

"I don't want to die either" He said with an understanding smile. "Grab some wire, we have about twenty minutes before we are all screwed"

* * *

I felt my heart thud as the clock ticked. Tick, tock, tick, tock. There were seconds left before the clock stuck the hour. They stood, side by side, breathing deeply as they stared down the tree. Rumbles thundered in the sky. The sounds echoed through my brain. Nothing would be the same. There was so little time and everything would be different.

"Ready?" I turned slowly to Johanna as she husked the single syllable into my ear.

"As I'll ever be" I mumbled.

"Good, because 3,2,1…"


	17. Stonewall Attack

In the interest of full disclosure you should know that I hadn't really planned this far ahead and I am currently winging it a little but don't worry, I won't be stopping. Regardless, I hope you're all still enjoying it and thank you for reading.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen – Stonewall Attack

"_He is the best man who, when making his plans, fears and reflects on everything that can happen to him, but in the moment of action is bold." – Herodotus_

* * *

The clock struck. The bell rung. The body dropped. A bunch of other clichés that signaled everything was about to change because time was up. There would be no more whispers. No more conversations in the shadows. No more hushed meetings. Everything would be laid on the table. The rebellion had broken out and there could be no going back from this point.

Despite the finality of the situation I didn't linger, I didn't hesitate. I clamped my hand around Johanna's and ran. I didn't think. I didn't calculate. I followed Haymitch's footsteps without as much as a second thought. It was in that moment that it fully dawned on me how much I trusted the man. I just placed my life in the hands of a man who drank like a fish and I didn't regret it for a second because truthfully, there hadn't been a moment that he had let us down. He saved us, albeit in a slightly disorientated, irritating manner, but a save nonetheless.

I couldn't dwell on the tributes. It would drive me insane if, in fact, the moment the screen went black hadn't already driven me to delusion. I only hoped they could find their way to District 13, everything would be easier when they were there.

My legs must have stilled momentarily for I felt a tug at my arm as Johanna pulled me along with her, letting her eyes fall to me curiously without ever slowing. I offered a nod in return as I once again started to sprint, this seemed to be enough to appease her though she squeezed my hand momentarily, dipping her head self consciously when I stared at her for too long a period of time. She continued staring forward however until everyone stopped.

"And just where are you going?" Peacekeepers, shit.

"Just a casual stroll. We realized we hadn't actually every seen much of the building" I can't even begin to imagine the looks we would have had upon our faces at Finnick's words had we not been inclined to pretend it were the truth. Instead, we all stood nodding along with his excuse. I vaguely heard a snigger from towards the back of the group but when I turned everyone had stone straight faces. I was incredibly impressed that no one had outright laughed as the words came tumbling out. However, the peacekeeper apparently wasn't as impressed with the excuse. Go figure.

"A casual stroll? Really?" He shifted the gun in his hand in what I suppose was meant to be an intimidating manner but Finnick simply grinned carefree and shrugged his shoulders joyfully to the group of us.

"Worth a shot, right?" He asked jovially and Haymitch nodded in the same comical manner before Finnick spun instantly and planted his fist firmly in the face of the peacekeeper, checking his hand for blood only when the dull crash of a body smacked to the floor. He looked down upon the man, whose face was coated in a sticky crimson liquid that poured from his nose without signs of stopping, with a frown. "I thought he'd put up more of a fight" If I didn't know any better I'd say he almost huffed, as though his fun had been ruined.

He might just have gotten his silent wish, for in the next moment another peacekeeper has appeared behind him, restraining both his arms behind his back as he shouted for us to stand back. Finnick's easy grin slipped back onto his face with perfect precision and I watched him throw a conspiratorial wink at Johanna as she nodded her head once, almost like a signal but what could she possibly be sign-

Her hand slipped from mine as Finnick's head slammed back, thudding into his capture's nose. A second later as the man clutched desperately at his corrupted face, an arm slipped around his neck catching him in a chokehold. She adjusted her arm carefully making sure she was only blocking blood flow from the jugular, as opposed to obstructing his airways. I was thankful that she wasn't killing the man, he evidently was not. He scratched and clawed at her arm, failing miserably in his attempt to get her to release him. He fell to the floor softly as he slipped into unconsciousness. Johanna brushed imaginary flint off of her shirt as she moved back to my side. Once again warming my hand with her own.

"Enough action for you?" Casual words were thrown Finnick's way.

"It was… better" She laughed and he joined in on the symphony of chuckles.

The next moment he was shrugging it off and turning to push to grand doors open. The breeze whipped at me relentlessly but I didn't care because every chirp that may have previously existed was silenced and that could mean only one thing – hovercraft.

It sat in front of us in all its beauty a moment later. I'd never been so grateful to see the contraption and I climbed in quickly along with the rest of them. I don't know why I was so happy in that moment. The escape had been easy but everything was about to change, beginning with the annoyance of the fact that Gale was standing right there. He was in the hovercraft. _Why in Panem, was he in the hovercraft?_

"Catnip!" Was the only thing I heard as I was engulfed in a bear hug and not because he wasn't still talking. He was definitely talking. I just hadn't heard anything from the moment my hand was pulled from her warmth. I hadn't heard anything from the moment she scoffed at the nickname and slithered off to sit by Peeta who looked equally as miffed at the appearance of Gale.

At what point did my love life get this complicated? At what point did my looks, or personality, or whatever begin to garner so much attention? I certainly didn't know but with the sheer amount of tension in one place it most certainly had. I extracted myself from his grip with a nervous laugh and he looked at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked and he rolled his eyes. Evidently I had missed a question as I based my attention solely upon the woman who was glaring at Gale with as much intent as ever. I felt my face contort into a grin at her jealousy and despite what I assume is her better judgement she joined me in a meaningful smile from across the vehicle.

I couldn't tell you what was going on around me. The hovercraft could have been on fire I would not have noticed. It could have been free falling and I would have remained blissfully unaware. Pristine teeth bit down on plump lips as she stopped her grin from getting any larger and spreading across her face. What I could tell you was I must have being staring at the woman for far too long because my licentious gaze was clocked by Gale who I imagine immediately stared at Peeta. The smug look on Johanna's face told me he must have eventually realized he wasn't the one on the receiving end on my looks.

"Johanna Mason?!" He exclaimed.

"Could you be any louder?" I pushed him from the center of the vehicle. I didn't really want to draw any more attention to this conversation that was absolutely necessary. Thankfully, his outburst did nothing other than garner a few strange glances. It didn't matter that these people must have known by now; all that mattered was that I didn't feel the excessive need to have everyone know my personal business, especially now I was no longer required to parade it on television to appease higher powers.

"What the hell Katniss?! You've known her for what, three weeks?" I rolled my eyes. I really didn't need this. I was under the impression that I had made myself explicitly clear when I said that I didn't feel that way about Gale. The fact that I loved him was a given, but he was more like a brother, a friend.

"Calm down Gale" I flickered my gaze to the woman in question who shuffled in her seat. A question sat in her eyes but I shook my head, coming over would do nothing for Gale's temper, although my words apparently weren't soothing either and he had definitely seen me look her way because he was seething.

"Did you fuck her?" I flinched at the vulgar term. He must have taken this action as an admission of guilt because he laughed humorlessly; there was dark lilt to the sound that made me tremble in trepidation. "Jesus Katniss, how'd you let her use you like that?" I could feel myself losing my temper now. Controlling it had never been a skill of mine, he was pushing all of the right buttons and he knew it. He knew exactly how to make me tick.

"You know nothing about her" I uttered through gritted teeth, my head throbbed with the strength in which I clenched my jaw but I didn't dare relax my face because then everything would come pouring out.

"And you know everything there is to know about her in three weeks? She's a murderer and a brutal one at that. Did you just overlook that because she had a pretty smirk? What about the way she manipulates people? Did she drop her top and make you forget every fake smile that lead to her coated in someone else's blood with that vicious smile on her face? I hope she was worth you're integrity Katni-" I heard the smack of skin on skin more than I saw it. At first I thought someone else had done it. I thought someone had overheard the conversation and had enough of his ostentatious display deciding to cut it short by slamming their open palm against his olive skin. That was until I felt a crushing sting burning upon my hand. He looked just as shocked as I did as he clutched the offended area.

"Gale, I…" I didn't know why I was apologizing. He had come in head first with his brash comments and his harsh ideas of someone I loved and I hadn't thought, I'd simply seen red and acted upon my disgust of his terms and tone. The hit somehow seemed to have smacked some sense into him because there was an apologetic look in his gaze. It hardened quickly when Johanna stormed over with a steely look and sympathetic hands that clutched at my reddened flesh with quiet care. I knew from experience that Gale glare was intimidating but even he faltered beneath the unforgiving eyes of Johanna Mason.

"Catnip-"He tried but he was quickly cut off by a push to his chest as he attempted to reach for me.

"Don't touch her. We've just risked everything for a rebellion that could get us all killed, and you're being stupid enough to come shouting your mouth off because you're jealous that you didn't take 'precious little Catnips' virginity?!" She laughed hysterically. I clutched her hand desperately and she sighed deeply before turning to look at me. She shook her head. It made me imagine her shaking the violent thoughts from her head before she acted upon each and every one of them in turn.

"Sorry" She muttered to me and I turned back to Gale's stunned face. Evidently he hadn't expected either of us to question his stature in the argument or call him out on his shit.

"I didn't mean to shout but her?" His tone was softer; something about it sounded more like defeat than before. He laughed self deprecatingly when I nodded. "I guess I should have known, you always did defend her actions. I suppose your little crush was pretty obvious" He glanced between the two of us one last time before he sighed harshly and walked in the opposite direction from the one she came from. He picked the seat farthest away from us as he could sit.

I just hoped eventually he would get over it. He really was my best friend before all of this happened. Had I never been in the Games I probably would have married Gale. We would have had kids and stayed within District 12 happy enough. I probably would have grown to love him in that way but that wasn't the way life played out.

Life threw me into the Games and then Life threw me Johanna Mason. Despite the way in which it all occurred, I was glad it hadn't turned out the way I once expected, even if this new expectation ended as quickly as it began.


End file.
